Heat in the Kitchen
by Chocolatebunny-san
Summary: In the exciting city of Magnolia, Levy and Gajeel own their own successful restaurants. Yet there's a very simple problem...they kind of hate each other. They always compete for customers, and the press just add on to the feud. But what if there was something under that rivalry of theirs? Could something beautiful emerge from their situation?
1. Chapter 1

Well this is the start of a new story~

I've had this idea from a prompt I posted on tumblr a while ago. Do I have a specific direction in great detail of what I'm going with this? Lol, no I don't, but I promise that I will not force anything that I might regret later down the road.

Anywho, thank you for taking time to read this story, and for any other returning readers who have read my previous works, welcome back. I hope this meets all your standards.

Let's get started.

* * *

Gajeel grumbled as he read the food section of the _Magnolia Corner_. One of Fiore's most acclaimed food critics paid a visit to the restaurant across the street from his.

More specifically, the restaurant owned by…well, _her._ Gajeel Redfox's number one rival: Levy McGarden.

For the past year, the two upcoming restaurateurs have been butting heads constantly. The man owned a hip yet upscale bar with gourmet versions of classic bar and Americana cuisine. The woman managed a simple and dainty French restaurant. Both tried their best to outdo the other. They had the best chefs and staff and were always pushing for innovative ways to get customers.

Gajeel finished his coffee and stood from his seat. He exited onto the main street and made his way to the meat purveyor who was set up down the street. He checked his watch—7:15a.m. He snickered. This was the perfect time to go there. He'll get first pick of today's freshest stock before the little bluenette can even get out of bed.

He entered with a grin on his face. "Good morning, got the best for me, yes?"

The main butcher scratched his head and shook his head awkwardly. "'Fraid not Mr. Redfox."

Gajeel's ears twitched awkwardly. "…what?!"

The back door opened, and a small woman with short curly blue hair walked into the main entrance carrying a basket which held several packages wrapped in white paper.

"Thank you Hank, have a good day." She smiled as she headed towards the door. She chuckled as she walked past Gajeel. "And same to you Mr. Redfox, but please don't look so glum. You know what they say: the early bird gets the worm." Then she was gone and walking down the street towards her restaurant.

Gajeel muttered several curses as the butcher laughed to himself. Gajeel ignored him before he went back to get his chef's order. _God I can't stand that bloody woman._

* * *

In another incident, the little blue haired woman sat by a window in her small restaurant enjoying a cup of tea. It was still morning, but she pondered the prior day's events. Redfox had received some news that his restaurant would be featured on one of the most popular food television networks.

 _How in the world could this happen!_ McGarden did not hate the man entirely, but the food industry was filled with competition. This would certainly not help her restaurant and could steal her clientele once the show airs.

One of the waiters placed a small breakfast in front of the woman.

No there was not really anything the woman could do anything about Redfox's TV feature, but she could at least hope that she would be as fortunate as well. The woman felt eyes burning and looked up.

From across the street, Redfox was smirking at the woman. Once she looked up, he snickered and winked. McGarden returned his action with glare.

 _That bastard._

* * *

So this is a basic introduction to the story. Some plot details are still being worked out, but I hope to get it doing soon. Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2: Opening Day

Welcome back everyone! Excuse me if the first chapter was a bit shaky. School was taking up my mind, and I kinda wrote it in the spur of the moment. Anyway, I have some free time to write this and focus. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Two Years Ago…**

Levy McGarden smiled cheerfully as she looked at her new restaurant. It was hours before the grand opening day, and she could not contain her excitement.

"It looks great doesn't it?" Levy turned and saw her best friend and head hostess—Lucy Heartfilia—smiling brightly at her. They had been friends since their younger years in high school. Despite the separation during college, their bond remained strong. When Levy decided to open her own restaurant, Lucy was there the entire time to support her friend. She even quit her job to work there!

"I'm so excited! This is going to be great!" Levy burst with energy.

A shy-looking woman entered the dining area with chef whites on. "Juvia is so happy that Miss Levy has hired her to work here. She is sure that the restaurant will do fine." Juvia was the restaurant's head chef. She seemed quiet and composed, but if something went wrong in the kitchen, she was sure that the error would be fixed and quickly too. She had experienced at other restaurants, but the chance to work in a predominantly female-staffed kitchen was an offer she could not pass up.

Levy giggled. "I already told you that you didn't need to call me 'Miss,' and besides, you know so much about French cuisine that it would be foolish not to hire you. You're definitely an important asset."

The dark bluenette blushed. "Thank you Miss Levy."

Suddenly, there was a crash coming from the kitchen!

Levy sighed. "Juvia please look to make sure Erza isn't trying to eat the cookie dough." Lucy laughed as the chef went back into the kitchen.

Levy could only shake her head. Day one and she already was slightly stressed. _Well this will certainly be an unforgettable day._

Doors open at 11a.m.

* * *

3:30p.m.

While it did seem that her marketing investment paid off, Levy was not pleased with the commotion that was happening across the street from her dainty French restaurant.

 _Another restaurant is having their grand opening the same day as me! How could this even happen?_ It was true. Across the street, there was an exceptionally busy restaurant that had opened its doors the same day.

Levy glared out the window. _The Dragon's Lounge._ That's what it was called. The even more shocking addition to this surprise was the banner that hung in the window.

 _Opening Day. Happy Hour all day and night!_

"Well what are the odds?" Lucy tried to lighten the mood with a smile. Levy crossed her arms and _humph_ -ed. The blonde gently punched her friend's shoulder. "Lighten up, I mean let's be real. Happy hour the first day your restaurant opens? That is _not_ a good business tactic. They could close in a matter of months if they continue like that."

Though Levy did not want to wish harm upon another person's business, Lucy did make a good point. Levy did her marketing the right way. She used social media, posted flyers, and talked to the locals. She didn't _need_ a sales promotion to get customers. They would come eventually. The small woman looked at the few customers that were in restaurant. There were still people coming in. After all, it was only opening day.

Levy relaxed and put on a bright smile. "Everything will be okay." She told herself.

* * *

"I need scallops for Table Five in 30 seconds or I'm going to fucking shut down the kitchen! I thought I hired a crew of badass chefs—not a bunch of culinary school dropouts!" Gajeel Redfox—the owner of the _Dragon's Lounge_ —was currently expediting the orders that were flying in.

The kitchen was in full swing and was not going to have break until closing. It was the best turnout a restaurant owner could ask for when it comes to their opening day.

"Gajeel go check the front of house! You left Gray and Natsu by themselves! I got the kitchen!" Lily yelled over the commotion to the owner. The two had known each other for years. The head chef was Gajeel's senior by a few years, but years of restaurant experience together had given them a hardcore bond.

Redfox left the hectic kitchen to the more civilized front of the house. He looked pleased as he saw all the happy customers. Of course with the news of an all day happy hour, there were bound to be some drunks to show up later that night, but Gajeel could handle that.

In all honesty, no one expected the man to be someone who opened their own restaurant. Yet once it started coming together, his friends tried to figure out why he hadn't done it sooner. Magnolia was a wonderful place for food, culture, and music. It was a perfect place to open your first restaurant!

The man wanted something very simple but high-end. He would serve his customer's a burger, but it wouldn't be some cheap, fast-food crap that you could get anywhere. No, Redfox wanted people to enjoy a burger that could only be found at the _Dragon's Lounge_ only.

Sure, was that a big dream to have? Yes, but after the rough bringing up Gajeel had, he deserved to dream big and achieve them. Even if the food industry was filled with risk, failures, and massive competition, it didn't matter to Redfox. He was going to be fine.

Filled with beginner's ambition, Redfox walked confidently throughout the restaurant. He even greeted customers and strung up conversations. Once in a while, he would have to separate his waiters—Gray and Natsu, but even their arguments couldn't damage his mood.

Towards the late evening, Redfox glanced out the window and saw a small French-looking restaurant. He was a bit confused. _I didn't notice them when I bought the space._ For dinner, it was packed with guests who appeared a bit high in the social ladder.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. He was not appreciative of high-end, classical French food. It was _too_ traditional and _too_ boring. That was the main reason his restaurant served revamped bar food. It tasted good and filled you up. There was no need to be served seven courses over a two hour time period. People wanted to eat, drink, and have fun.

Soon, something caught Gajeel's attention, and he was back to work. He didn't give the restaurant a second thought.

* * *

Levy sipped her tea and organized the checks she collected for the night. The dinner shift was much better than the lunch, but it was way too early to be making any changes until the restaurant was rooted in city's food scene.

She continued to record data while the front and back of house cleaned up.

Redfox finished closing the restaurant and cleaned the bar. He was glad and actually had a smile on his face. It was a good first day. Lily came out of the restaurant with a paper in his hand.

"This is interesting." He said as he took a seat at the bar.

Gajeel grunted. "What is?"

"It's a promotional article about that restaurant across the street—La Fée Bleue. Ooo, that's French." Lily seemed impressed.

Redfox rolled his eyes. "It's nothing to be impressed with. There are French restaurants all over the country."

"But it says that they have a very acclaimed head chef. I wonder who it is." Lily was excited. Too excited. This was competition. "It seems like they had their grand opening today as well."

Gajeel remained uninterested. "It's all a marketing gimmick. All chefs are 'acclaimed' in newspapers."

Lily sighed. "You could at least introduce yourself and see what's up."

Gajeel groaned as he put his towel down. "Fine, I'll go meet the neighbors."

* * *

It wasn't fear that Levy McGarden was feeling…more like nervousness and intrigued. A large man entered her restaurant and was taking a look around. He had long, untamable hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He was dressed in a dark red button up with a black tie. He seemed a bit professional though the look on his face seemed uninterested. He approached Levy's area though it didn't seem like he noticed that she was there.

Levy stood from her seat and cleared her throat. "Excuse me sir, we're closed." She tried to focus, so her voice wouldn't shake. He looked at her and that's when she saw his piercing red eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. His presence was intimidating yet captivating.

"Oh yeah I know. I'm lookin' for the owner of this place." His voice was rough and unenthusiastic.

Levy tried not to look upset. Of course, she had been looked over a few times when she was getting the restaurant together, but it was annoying especially for it to happen from a very attractive man. "I am the owner sir; my name is Levy McGarden." She held out her hand to shake.

The man seemed to try to hold back a snicker. His eyes seemed amused for a quick moment. She knew he didn't believe her, but he shook her hand anyway. They were rough yet not uncomfortable. "Gajeel Redox. I'm the owner of the Dragon's Longue across the street." He grinned at the woman.

"Oh well then it seems that we are both new to the neighborhood. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her words seem to be ignored as the man continued to look at the restaurant's décor.

"I give it eight months." He muttered under his breath.

Levy was shocked. "Excuse me, what did you say?"

Gajeel had the same grin on his face as he looked down at the woman. "Kid, it's just business. There are at least two other French restaurants in this city, and they have already established their clientele. I would have done something more original."

Levy threw out all thoughts of the man's appearance out her head and crossed her arms. "I understand that, but not all French cuisine is the same. And from the looks of it, you are simply running a bar. There are plenty of those!"

Redfox snickered. "But we are not a typical bar. We have much better food than most. It's going to bring people in."

"Oh and unique French food isn't? I'm going to have to prove you wrong, Mr. Redfox." Levy didn't back down from the challenge he was issuing.

Gajeel simply laughed. "Sure Miss 'Owner,' we'll see how things go." He gave the place one last look. "But best of luck to you, you're interesting enough."

Levy smirked. "Same to you Mister Redfox. I hope you have a good night."

It was the first night of what would turn into one of the most interesting restaurant rivalries to take place in Magnolia. If only the two knew what would be on the menu for them…

* * *

And scene.

That was definitely a more structured chapter. It is still background information, but I hope you all have more of an understanding as to where this story can go.

Please review and share your thoughts. Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3: Old Friends

Hello once again, I appreciate the reception of the second chapter. I replied to all the reviews, so don't be shy to share your thoughts. We're going to develop the story a bit more, and I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

To the surprise of the local newspapers and gossiping chefs, the two new restaurants did well their first year of business. Most restaurants fail within their first six months, and the fact that the two opened the same day caused most to believe that they would put each other out of business with too much focus on competition.

For Levy McGarden, her French restaurant shocked the locals. It was expected that she opened a Parisian style restaurant with foods served with rich sauces and cooked in generous amounts of butter. In fact, her food was more like that which comes from the region of Marseille.

As for the rough and tough Gajeel Redfox, he had to prove a bit more uniqueness in Magnolia's food scene. His Americana gastro pub did serve good food, but it had to win over the hipster crowd along with other self-proclaimed beer connoisseurs. However, during their sixth month of business, Redfox gained local support.

"I'll be back Gajeel! I need to get some vegetables from the market." Lily called from the kitchen. It was early morning, and the head chef had just finished doing the kitchen inventory for the day.

Gajeel grumbled as he waited for his coffee to cool off. Despite his decorative work experience, he never became a morning person. "Okay…" he managed to get out.

Lily took off his chef whites and service shoes. He walked out the kitchen from the back and was dressed in gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He had a large woven basket and a wallet with him. The sun was out, but there were still not so many people out and about that morning.

The chef enjoyed his mornings. It gave him some peace before the typical hell-breaking-loose evenings he had at the restaurant. He walked up the street—saying good morning to all he came by. Soon he saw the entrance of the market and entered.

* * *

Levy was a wreck. Juvia insisted that she could do the shopping for the day, but Levy wouldn't back down. She felt that it was her responsibility as the restaurateur to build good relations with the local farmers and food artisans of Magnolia. Levy headed out that morning.

However after an hour into the shopping, Levy was struggling with some of the ingredients. She knew what they were but didn't really know what was a good price or how to tell what fruit was riper than the other.

She stared at a basket of endive at one stand. She need three pounds of the green for a salad, but she had no clue which one was better than the others. While she was lost in thought, another man greeted the seller.

"Good morning Jim, the endives are looking better than most days." The man said. Levy looked at him. He was older than her but probably by only a few years. He had dark brown skin and a short hair cut. He was tall and slim. He was dressed in simple clothes, but by the way he spoke, he seemed to know what he was talking about.

Levy watched hopelessly as the two men conversed, and the man bought one pound of the endives. He almost walked away, but Levy overcame her shyness. "Wait sir! Excuse me," the man turned and looked down at her. Levy blushed out of embarrassment. "This is so embarrassing, but I was wondering if you could help me. I need to buy some endive, but I really don't know how to tell what is good…" her voice trailed off.

The man didn't seem bothered and smiled. "Well what do you need the endive for?"

"My chef wants to use it as an underliner for this salad she came up with." Levy explained.

At the mentioning of a chef, the man seemed to perk up even more. "Chef?"

Levy nodded and scratched her cheek. "Yes, I'm the owner of La Fée Bleue; my name is Levy McGarden."

The man produced a very wide and bright smile. "Oh, I thought you looked a little familiar. My name is Lily; I'm the chef at the Dragon's Lounge. It's really nice to meet you."

Levy returned his smile. Lily was much nicer than that owner Gajeel Redfox. Those two kept running into each other, and things usually did not go well. It seemed as if the media picked up on a bit of a rivalry and mentioned it a few times in articles. In reality, it was absolutely ridiculous to compare a French restaurant to an American gastro pub, but that's what was happening.

"Anyway as for the endives, you should know that heat and moisture is one of the most damaging things to salad greens, so it is important to store them in a dry, cool place. Always check to see if the leaves are brown and slightly wilted…"

Lily went on for another couple of minutes describing components of the salad green and when to buy them. He told her when it is in season and how it should look. Levy soaked up the information he gave her like a sponge. It was fascinating. Lily helped her pick out all the endive she needed.

"Oh my gosh, you're a lifesaver Lily! Thank you so much." Levy beamed with the delight.

Lily chuckled. "It's nothing really."

"No honestly! I had no idea about it. I should really thank you. If you're not busy, you can come eat at the restaurant. Oh wait, you probably have to prep and discuss the menu with Gajeel. What am I saying?" Levy laughed.

Lily shook his head. "You're fine. I'm done shopping, so I can probably go with you."

Levy smiled greatly. "Yay, you are sure to be impressed!"

The two walked together back to La Fée Bleue. Levy walked happily through the dining room. "I brought the vegetables though I had some help. I have someone you should meet."

"Okay, coming!" the chef called from the back. The two waited in the dining room as Juvia washed her hands and went to the front of the restaurant. She gasped as she saw who was with Levy. "Lily!?"

"Juvia!"

* * *

Levy watched in confusion as the two chefs embraced and went on to talk for about fifteen minutes. The bluenette was in a daze.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Levy finally asked.

Lily smiled. "Yeah, we went to culinary school together with Gajeel. I'm just shocked it's Juvia here!"

"Juvia should have known it was Lily working across the street. Juvia has been so busy training the staff that she hasn't even thought of going over there. Wait so it's actually Gajeel running that restaurant?" Juvia was filled with giggles.

"Shocker I know right? He was definitely not a businessman back in school." Lily grinned.

Levy smiled at seeing the two's relationship reconnect quickly. "Wait a second, if Gajeel used to be a chef then how come you're working there Lily?"

The mood changed for a quick second as the two thought about what had happened. "When we were in New York together, there was an accident. There was a fire in the kitchen we were in. Gajeel and I both had insisted that the stove needed to be replaced, but the owner there was stubborn. He got caught in the fire and some stuff fell on top of him." Lily explained.

Levy was shocked. "Oh my gosh that's terrible!"

Juvia nodded. "Yes it is quite sad, but Juvia is sure that Gajeel will be back in the kitchen when he can. She's happy that he's allowing his body to recover fully."

"Yeah, that took some time to get into his head." Lily sighed.

Levy didn't know what to think about her rival's past but didn't want to ponder on it too long. "Well how about we eat? You two are going to be busy once the line cooks come in."

Juvia smiled. "That's true. Come on Lily, Juvia must show you how lovely the kitchen is!" The three went into the kitchen, and Lily listened to Juvia excitedly talk about the equipment she had. It was a good morning.

* * *

"And Gajeel, they have an all-female staffed back of the house! I'm telling you, you're lucky I like you otherwise I would have gone over there." Lily grinned as he moved throughout the kitchen prepping for dinner service.

The restaurateur rolled his eyes. "Lily you couldn't handle a kitchen full of women. They'd probably scare the shit out of you."

Lily laughed. "Yeah women in our industry are ones not to be messed with. I just can't believe Juvia is there. What are the odds?"

Gajeel sighed. "Yeah yeah, that is surprising. I don't think we've seen her since the old place's nomination for the James Beard Award."

"True, and she seems to be enjoying it over there. And by the way, that bluenette is not as terrible as you made her sound. She's a really sweet young woman." Lily went on. He placed a small plate of food in front of Gajeel. "Taste that."

Gajeel grunted as he took a bite. "She's annoying—always in my way." He finished chewing. "And what type of restaurateur doesn't know anything about endive? That's a fucking mess." Gajeel dipped a finger in the sauce and tasted it. "This sauce needs salt."

"Yeah, I was thinking so too." Lily took a pinch and added it to the pot in his hand. "Anyway give her a break. She went to the market to shop; that says something. Our old boss probably didn't know the difference between Bolognese sauce and marinara." Lily laughed.

Gajeel snickered. "That old bastard was a mess." He tasted the second dish Lily gave him. "Lay off the truffles, will you? Shit, we're not trying to be too fancy."

Lily laughed as he took the plate. "It's called flavor not 'being fancy.' I swear, you're traumatized by that French instructor we had in school."

"That lady was fucking nuts! You can't say she wasn't." Gajeel argued. "I just don't get the hype about that French food over there. It's too damn technical."

Lily rolled his eyes. "You should eat over there. I think you'd be impressed."

"Impressed? Now that's funny. Anyway, focus Chef. Doors open in an hour." Gajeel told his friend.

Lily grinned. "Alright Boss."

The restaurateur left the kitchen and went to the front of house. He thought about Lily's suggestion to have dinner at La Fée Bleue. _It can't be that good…but they do seem to book very quickly…nah fuck that._ Gajeel got his front staff together. He had to focus.

Doors opened at 6.

* * *

I love writing this story! If you can't tell, I'm in _love~_ food. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and be sure to share your thoughts. I don't bite.

I hope you all have a great day. :)


	4. Chapter 4: The Meeting

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Here's a bit of a more plot to the story. I believe I can start developing more of a direction with this chapter. Please enjoy.

* * *

Gajeel groaned as his alarm went off. _Fuck, 5:30a.m. already?_ His days usually started early. He rolled out of bed and went straight into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. His hair went in all kinds of directions like it did every morning. He felt as if he was forgetting something but couldn't put his finger on it.

He showered then ironed the clothes he would be wearing for the day. He wasn't one to care too much about his appearance, but Lily got Gajeel into the habit of looking nice. "You're the face of the restaurant now; you have to look professional." He made a good point.

Gajeel dressed and fixed his hair. He left his small apartment and walked to the café down the street. He sat outside and read the day's newspaper. The cattle were getting sick, so meat prices were going up. It meant the menu had to change or that Gajeel had to pay more for meat further away.

Gajeel put the newspaper down and sipped his coffee. The Sun was coming out now. His day was just starting.

* * *

"Gajeel-kun! Good morning!" The restaurateur sighed as he walked into his restaurant. Juvia was a morning person. He was not.

Gajeel grunted as he took a seat at the table where Juvia and Lily sat. "Seems like you need another cup of coffee." Lily chuckled.

"I don't know how the hell you two are so awake. I feel like shit." Gajeel grumbled.

"Juvia told you not to go drinking last night. She's surprised you got here at your normal time." The bluenette replied.

Since reuniting, the three made a habit of having breakfast at least once a week. Sometimes it would be at one of their restaurants. Other times, it would be at a random café or diner. It was something the three of them could look forward to.

"Did you hear the news about the meat prices?" Lily asked.

Gajeel sighed. "It's a bitch. I had a braised short-rib nacho recipe I was going to experiment with."

"Ooo, that does sound good." Juvia smiled before sipping her tea.

Gajeel chuckled. "Too bad, you can't do that at your place. Not fancy enough." Lily rolled his eyes at his friend's comment.

"True, but the kitchen is still affected by this. Juvia will need to talk to Miss Levy about a menu change." Juvia thought aloud.

The restaurateur snorted. "What does that shrimp know about food anyway?"

"Well from what I could dig up, she might be from Marseille, but I do know that she used to be a food writer for a newspaper out of state." Lily answered.

Juvia nodded. "Her grandmother is from Marseille."

Gajeel grunted. "She's still a shrimp to me."

Lily laughed. "You two are always going at it. When are you gonna make peace?"

"Oh Lily, Juvia isn't sure if that's going to happen." The woman chef giggled.

"Eh, I don't know." Lily shook his head. "They do have to go the endorsement meeting this afternoon. They could make peace there."

Gajeel nearly choked on his coffee. "The what!?"

"Oh no, don't tell Juvia that you forgot!" The woman gasped.

"Jeez Gajeel, I thought you remembered." Lily sighed. The endorsement meeting was a gathering of Magnolia's restaurateurs for the Taste of Magnolia event that was going to take place in the coming few months. The city would pick one restaurant to pay for completely; this was something major for two still-new restaurants like the Dragon's Lounge and La Fée Bleue.

Gajeel poured himself another cup of coffee and went back to his friends. He rubbed his forehead. "You know what? It's fine. I can pitch the restaurant's success perfectly fine. I have nothing to worry about."

Juvia was not so convinced. "Well Miss Levy does have a Bachelor's in Business."

"Do you think you could compete with that?" Lily added.

Gajeel glared at his friends. "Who do you work for? Damn." Lily chuckled. Gajeel didn't bother adding anything to his coffee except a shot of brandy. "She's gonna chew my ass up. We need that endorsement."

Juvia shrugged. "Nothing is set in stone. Maybe you both could get the endorsement." Lily and Gajeel gave her a look. The woman sighed. "Wishful thinking…"

The three continued to talk until the clock struck 9a.m. The line cooks slowly started trailing in. "Well I got to get to work." Lily stood up. "Need to start planning a new menu."

Juvia stood as well. "Juvia too. She needs to make sure our pastry chef doesn't all the cake again."

Gajeel groaned. "I'll go plan some type of presentation for later."

"It'll be okay Gajeel-kun. You'll see." Juvia smiled.

* * *

Levy smoothed out her blazer and made sure that her hair stayed in its bun. It looked decent—her hair was difficult to tame at times. She made sure her bag had all her handouts and her flashdrive in it. It seemed as everything was going to work out fine.

Levy walked into the Magnolia Health Department building confidently. Four years of business training was not going to fail her now. She went into the meeting room where there were about twelve other restaurant owners there. She took in a deep breath. _Everything is going to be fine._

In about fifteen minutes, the meeting started, and a panel of city officials listened as different people tried to sell their restaurant.

Levy listened attentively and made notes of what seemed to be selling points that the panel liked.

"Okay next, we have Gajeel Redfox of The Dragon's Lounge."

Levy's ears perked up. She hadn't seen the man the entire time she was there. Everyone looked around to see if he was there. Levy shook her head. She wasn't very fond of the man, but she thought better of him not to miss a meeting.

"One last call for Gajeel Red-,"

The door slammed open as the man entered. He fixed his tie and had a stack of index cards in his hands. He rushed to the front of the room. Almost tripping, Gajeel caught himself, but his cards went flying into the air. Levy tried her best to contain her laughter.

Gajeel cussed as he picked his cards up. He didn't have time to get them into order and opted for presenting his restaurant from memory. It was the best that he could do without looking more foolish.

"Alright Mister Redfox, tell us a little bit about your restaurant." One of the panel members said. Levy sat up—ready to listen.

Gajeel cleared his throat. "Well the Dragon's Lounge opened about a year and a half ago. We have hired local residents and made a diligent effort in buying ingredients from local farmers to support the city's economy."

Levy was surprised. That was a nice way to start off.

"We serve simple yet higher-end bar food to the public. We don't rip off our customers, and in the future, we plan on donating a portion of profits to the local culinary program at Magnolia High." Gajeel went on.

"Something dear to your heart?" someone asked.

Gajeel grunted. "Cooking got me off the streets so yeah."

"Well it does seem that your business has plans for the future and is sustaining the local economy. We'll definitely consider your restaurant." The main panel member said.

"Thanks." Gajeel replied and took a seat.

"Lastly, we have Levy McGarden of La Fée Bleue."

Gajeel's presentation was the shortest that Levy witnessed, but it seemed that simplicity was a favorite aspect of the panel members. Levy decided to leave out the minute business details and stick with easy-to-understand arguments.

Levy stood up and walked to the front of the room. When she walked by Redfox, she grinned and winked. _Watch how it's done._

"Good afternoon panel," Levy started off," La Fée Bleue is modern fine dining French restaurant that has been in business for twenty months."

Gajeel grunted and rolled his eyes. _There's no need to be so specific._

"The restaurant is ahead of previously predicted financial status and plans on finishing off all debts in the next eight months—that's two years ahead of most restaurants. When we get the endorsement, we plan on using the money saved to promote local businesses and educate restaurants on how to utilize the vast variety of homemade artisan food businesses." Levy continued.

"Hmm, Magnolia has seen a decline in support of small businesses. Thank you Miss McGarden."

Levy was surprised to be cut off so soon, but believed that the panel was ready to wrap things up.

"We'll send news as to who the committee decides to endorse. Thank you for your time."

People began to leave the room. McGarden gathered her things.

"That was quite a bore shrimp." Gajeel chuckled as he approached the woman.

Levy shook her head. "Well whatever you think of my presentation, you'll be quiet once you hear that we get the endorsement."

Gajeel laughed. "You're pretty gutsy. You honestly think you won them over?"

"You're not the only business that supports the local economy, Redfox." Levy argued.

"Yeah yeah, you goin' back to the restaurant?" Gajeel asked.

Levy nodded. "Yes why?"

"I'll give you a ride. Can't have you walking there in heels; your complaining gives Juvia a headache." Gajeel snickered.

Levy gasped. "Juvia would never say such a thing!" Gajeel only winked. "Fine, I'll go with you. I never thought of you to be the polite type."

"Don't get used to it. Like I said, it's for Juvia's sake." Gajeel walked with the woman out to the parking lot. They went to his car.

"Mmhm, I'll remember that." Levy giggled as she got into the passenger's seat. "Just one think Redfox,"

"What is it shrimp?" Gajeel started the ignition.

"We are totally going to win that endorsement."

* * *

Juvia tasted the sauce she was working on when shouting started in the restaurant.

"What the fuck are you talking about! We got the endorsement!" Gajeel's voice could be heard.

"You are out of your mind! We did; look at this letter!" Levy replied. It had been about a week since their meeting.

Juvia sighed. _There they go again…_ "Hey, watch out! Don't burn that fish." Juvia called to one of the line cooks.

Gajeel and Levy stormed into the kitchen. "Juvia please be a dear and explain to Gajeel that we got the endorsement."

Juvia wiped her hands and let her staff continue working. "Well we did receive the letter this morning Gajeel-kun."

Gajeel threw his hands in the air. "I don't have time to argue with you woman. I'll just call them." The two women watched as the man left the kitchen with his phone in hand.

Juvia went back to work while Levy paced around impatiently. After about five minutes, Gajeel came back.

"Did they admit it was a mistake on their hand Mister Redfox." Levy asked as soon as she saw him.

Gajeel shook his head. "We both got it." He mumbled.

Juvia laughed. "Well it did happen!" she smiled.

Levy was quiet for a moment. "Well congratulations…"

Gajeel snickered. "Same to you shrimp."

Levy puffed her cheeks. "Don't call me that in my restaurant. You can leave."

"You invited me over." Gajeel laughed.

"For business reasons. You've served your purpose." Levy grinned.

Gajeel pretended to be hurt by her comment. "So cold McGarden." He snickered. "Bye Juvia."

Juvia waved as she prepared for the dinner service. "Bye Gajeel-kun."

Levy watched as the man let himself out. She shook her head. _That man…he's different. That's for sure._

* * *

This story is progressing a bit. I'm trying not to rush. What do you guys think about the pace? Let me know along with other comments in a review. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5: Lunch Date

Hola como estas. Quiero vosotros disfrutar este capítulo. Gracias por leyendo.

* * *

"You are not doing this to me! We are preparing for the food festival this Saturday, and I need that fish shipment. I have enough on my plate!"

Gajeel jumped at the sound of a familiar woman yelling outside. It was morning—the time when food purveyors would be making their deliveries. From the sound of it, Levy McGarden was having difficulty with one of them.

"Look lady, I brought you your fish. What more do you want?" the man replied back.

Levy fumed. "I asked for wild sockeye salmon; you brought me this farm raised crap! This is the third time this week that you guys screwed up my order. I'm not paying for shitty service."

Gajeel chuckled. _Oh so the shrimp isn't always so polite? That's a relief._

"Hey Gajeel, is that fish purveyor still around? Most of my clams are dead." Lily came into the dining room.

Gajeel's ear twitched irritated. "He's outside giving the shrimp hell."

Lily rolled up his chef coat sleeves. "I swear to God, when I get to that man, I'll-,"

Gajeel held up a hand. "Wait a sec, I'll talk to him. You just make sure the line cooks aren't goofing off." Lily was surprised, but didn't say anything. Gajeel walked outside where the bluenette was still yelling at the man.

"Look, I don't know what type of water crisis is happening where you're getting your fish, but I want my product perfect! So quit bringing this crap here, or I'm taking my business somewhere else!" Levy crossed her arms.

"Lady watch who you're talking to. I'll-,"

"You'll what? You got angry clients. You don't want to fuck up your reputation by doing anything drastic." Gajeel stood behind the bluenette.

Levy jumped and turned around. "Oh Mister Redfox," she mumbled. She then turned to fish purveyor. "He giving you hell too?"

Gajeel smirked. "Yeah, my chef just told me that you gave us a crate of clams; most of them are dead."

"I don't catch the fish—just deliver it. So how about you two just get a boat, fish, and leave me the fuck alone." The man snapped.

Levy groaned. _This bastard, I can't believe him._ That's when she heard laughter, very quiet laughter. She looked up to see Redfox struggling to contain himself. "What the heck, why are you laughing?"

Gajeel grinned. "I ain't cut out for this professionalism shit really." He grabbed the man by the collar and pulled so only inches were separating their faces. Levy moved out the way quickly. "How about you buy those clams back from me, bring me new ones, and tell your boss that if he sends you back to this neighborhood, I'm going to make sure no chef buys from your pathetic business ever again!" He then punched the man in the face.

Levy—at first—was shocked but simply giggled then went back inside her restaurant. _He sure does have a way of handling things._

The next day, Levy met with a different, slightly terrified purveyor who had the right salmon and gave her a hand-written card from the owner of the business. She chuckled and after a while decided to pay the Dragon Lounge a visit.

"I'm going on a lunch break Lu-chan." Levy said as she collected her few belongings.

Lucy asked. "Going out?"

"Yup to the Dragon's Lounge. I have to settle a little something." Levy smiled.

* * *

Gajeel snored loudly in his office. It was the lunch rush, but he was usually seen mingling with customers during the dinner shift.

However, a knock on his door interrupted his mid-day nap.

Gajeel groaned and opened the door. "What?!"

Natsu stood there with a grin on his face. "Don't sound so grumpy. Your lunch date is here."

The restaurateur thought his ears were deceiving him. "My what?"

Gray appeared. "A lovely young woman is here to have lunch with you." He snickered. "Why didn't the boss say he was seeing someone?"

Gajeel grumbled and waved his hand. "I ain't that's why." He fixed his hair into its normal ponytail. "Who is it?" The two waiters chuckled before disappearing. _Gah, those idiots._ The man went into the kitchen.

"Ooo, ready for your date?" Lily managed to ask over all the hectic kitchen chaos.

"What the hell is everyone talking about?!" Gajeel yelled.

Lily only chuckled. "Table 5 in the back." He put two bowls on the table in front of him. "And give this to her. She asked for soup."

Gajeel took the bowls—assuming one was for him—and went to his date.

* * *

"This is a really nice place here. I should come here more often, Redfox." Levy smiled. "Ooo soup!" the bluenette smiled. Gajeel took a seat in front of the woman. "Oh! You look exhausted."

"I was asleep." Gajeel grumbled. "What do you want shrimp? I don't like being waken up."

"I didn't ask them to wake you up. I just wanted to know if you were here." Levy explained.

Gajeel sighed. Unbeknownst to him, the head chef had been fueling rumors around the restaurant that the two restaurateurs could have something going on. They just needed a little push. Gajeel began eating the soup.

"To be honest, I just wanted to thank you for getting our fish situation straightened out." Levy clarified.

"Don't worry about it. He was asking for it." The man paused. "How's the food?" Gajeel asked.

Levy smiled. "I love this cucumber soup! It's delicious." Gajeel chuckled. "Did you write the recipe?"

"Yeah." Gajeel grinned.

"I like it. I'm not usually a fan of cold soups, but this is really refreshing." Levy smiled. "Anyway, are you guys getting ready for the festival Saturday?"

Gajeel nodded and tried to ignore the looks he was getting as his wait staff passed his table. "Yeah, we already have the menu done, and the kitchen has been prepping afterhours. You guys?"

"We're getting there. We had a sudden lost of a line cook due some personal reasons, but we're holding up." Levy answered. "I'm excited for the exposure the festival can bring." Another dish was brought to the pair. "Oh my god, are these stuffed peppers wrapped in prosciutto?"

Gajeel could only laugh. _She gets so excited._ "You don't get out a lot do you?"

Levy blushed and shrugged. "It's not so often that a restaurateur can enjoy a full meal at her own restaurant's food, not even the ragamuffin next to her."

"I am not a ragamuffin." Gajeel argued. "You need to get out more. I bet you go straight home as soon as the restaurant closes."

"What am I supposed to do?" Levy laughed. "I have to get some rest."

Gajeel shook his head. "Hang out with your staff, get wasted." He winked.

Levy couldn't believe the man. "No I don't have time for drinking. I have to be serious with my business."

"Gosh, such a goody-two-shoes. Anyway, your meal is comped. Go out and have some fun." Gajeel sighed.

"Maybe I will Redfox. And I'll be sure that you hear of it." Levy stood up. "Thank you for the meal."

"My pleasure, now you see why place is better." Gajeel smirked. "I'll see you Saturday shrimp."

Levy nodded. "Good-bye Gajeel."

* * *

Saturday came. All of Magnolia's restaurants were closed and gathered on the fairgrounds for the Taste of Magnolia. The kitchen and wait staff worked in booths to serve the hungry public. The Dragon's Lounge and La Fée Bleue arrived to bear some interesting news.

"WE HAVE TO WHAT!" the two restaurateurs yelled in unison.

The event manager shrunk a little. "I thought you two knew. You'll be sharing a booth for the event."

It was going to be a very interesting day.

* * *

They had lunch~

How was the chapter? How was my Spanish? Let me know all thoughts and emotions in a review. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6: Taste of Magnolia

My school break has ended, so updates won't be as frequent as they were before. However, I don't plan on having extensive long breaks between chapters. We have some interaction in this chapter, so enjoy.

* * *

The event manager quickly scatter away in order not to deal with the fuming restaurateurs.

Gajeel and Levy looked at each other for a second. Gajeel ran his hand through his hair. "This is some bullshit."

Levy nodded. "Well there are some ways to do this. One of us can work throughout the day then switch. It's a two day event, so one of us can work today and the other has tomorrow. Or…we could share the space."

Lucy leaned by Levy's ear. "Are you sure we could share the space?" she whispered. Levy shrugged.

"Either way, it wouldn't be as beneficial to work different shifts or days. I think we should share the space." Lily told Gajeel.

The man groaned. "Look, I have my head chef, two line cooks, and three waiters. You have your head, three line cooks, and two waiters. That's a total of seven people including ourselves. We should see the space we have." Gajeel reasoned.

Levy thought about it. "That does make sense. We wouldn't want to limit ourselves before we have a chance."

The group made their way through the morning crowd of other restaurant groups. Soon they were where their designated booth was. There was a sign that had both restaurants' names on it. It was relatively big, but it wasn't guaranteed that the two could share the space once things got busy.

"It has a fair amount of space…" Levy said. She went in the booth. "It's manageable if we share."

Gajeel followed the woman and took a look for himself. He sighed. "Alright team let's get to work."

Levy clapped her hands loudly. "Here we go ladies."

* * *

It was manageable…for the first three hours.

Then the hungry afternoon crowd came. That's when things got very difficult.

"I need more bacon-wrapped dates!" Gajeel yelled over the commotion.

"We're working on that!" Lily answered as he assembled more of the samples.

"Miss Levy, we ran out of rosemary!" Juvia called out.

"What the heck? We packed two boxes of it!" Levy said between talking with patrons.

Juvia shook her head irritated. "The line cook forgot to bring the second one."

Levy groaned before she had to smile brightly as _another_ person decided to hold a conversation with her about 'How much I love your restaurant' and that 'They totally wanted to own their own place. How did you do it?' It wasn't that restaurateurs didn't appreciate the compliments, but typically, it was a struggle to look attentive while all hell is breaking loose behind you.

"Here take this, we're scratching the rosemary garnish for the day." Lily said as he handed Juvia a container.

Levy smiled. "You are truly a life saver."

The crowd was gone as soon as it came. Soon the event was over.

Levy collapsed in her chair. "That was ridiculous…"

"Saturday is usually the busiest." Lily said.

Natsu and Gray came to the booth with a cooler. "Look what we got?" Natsu grinned.

They placed the cooler in the center of where everyone was sitting. "We got beer!" Gray laughed. They opened it up. There were several cans and bottles to go around.

"Oh shit, where did you get that?" Cana—La Fée Bleu's waitress and sommelier—asked excitedly as she quickly reached and pulled out a bottle.

"The local beer booth found out that they couldn't work tomorrow and were giving them out to the other booths." Gray explained.

Levy opened a can. "What a relief! I could sure use one after today."

Gajeel laughed. "Can you handle it shrimp?"

"Yes I can thank you very much. Jeez, it's just a beer." Levy sassed back. The man chuckled. "You're such a pain."

Gajeel grinned. "If I wasn't there, you wouldn't have gotten the rosemary from Lily."

Levy rolled her eyes. "I could have made a quick run to buy some."

"Gihi nah, I think you should thank me." He snickered.

Levy sipped her beer. "Thanks." She said half-heartedly.

Lucy stretched in her chair. "Man, I hope tomorrow is better than today."

"Well our booth was busy today, but that is a good thing." Juvia replied.

Gajeel laughed. "Word got out about our nachos."

Levy laughed and shook her head. "I can't believe you! We were practically sharing all the patrons who came by."

Lily shrugged. "It could Miss Levy's food."

Gajeel glared at his friend. "I wonder if you know who the hell you work…" Lily only smiled.

Everyone relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. The stars were out, and it really set the vibe. It was good that everyone could be on nice terms with each other.

* * *

The event manager smiled brightly the next morning. "Good morning everyone! I hope you're ready for the day."

Gajeel cussed. "What the hell do they need? I need to be getting ready for the day." He muttered to himself. All the restaurateurs and their head chefs were gather that morning for what was supposed to be an important announcement. Gajeel heard someone groan.

"I feel like crap…" it was Levy. He smiled when he saw the woman. Along with his staff, they had all hit up a karaoke club. After a few drinks from her persistent sommelier, she joined in the singing with Lucy.

Gajeel tried not to grin too much. He had seen what she was like after loosening up a bit. It was entertaining.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Lily asked.

Gajeel stopped his train of thought. He shook his head. "Just thinking about how well we'll do today."

Lily laughed. "You're such a terrible liar."

Gajeel glared at his friend—which really had no effect. "What are you talking about."

Lily snickered. "Nothing nothing."

"Today, a secret food critic will be coming by each of your booths so perform your best." The manager announced.

Gajeel was surprised. _This would be great for business._ "I wonder when they'll come."

"Probably when it's busy." Lily suggested.

"Yeah food critics like doing that shit—see whether or not you'll get overwhelmed." Gajeel agreed. He was serious for now. Lily had lectured him before they opened the restaurant that he would need to be responsible since people's livelihoods were dependent on the success of the joint. He was kinda taking that serious now.

After some simple announcements, the crowd dispersed throughout the fairgrounds.

"Good morning Gajeel-kun!" Juvia smiled at the man. "And you too Lily."

Gajeel grunted. _Why is she always so awake in the morning?_ "Hey Juvia." He looked down at the bluenette. "Shrimp."

Levy glared at the man. "Gajeel, not today. My head is killing me."

He laughed. "You had a wild night."

Levy groaned. "Thanks to Cana…" They continued to the booth and cleaned and set things up.

The day started and turned out to much busier than Saturday. Everyone was scrambling to get food out in a timely manner. Levy tried her best to cut off conversations as quickly as she could. She didn't have time for small talk when there were thirty people in line.

Gajeel tried to focus on pinpointing out the food critic, but there were several food bloggers and reporters with cameras and notepads. Soon, it got to the point where he focused on serving and was working with the kitchen staff.

When the day had ended, the group focused on packing up and heading home. Everyone was too tired to socialize.

* * *

The next day, Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden were surprised when they had read the day's paper with an article titled, "La Fée Bleu at the Dragons Longue. The Collision of two different worlds." They had thought it was the same restaurant!

"Damn it!" The two yelled in their respected restaurant.

It seemed that things could never go right


	7. Chapter 7: Kitchen Speakeasy

Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and so time went on like it usually does. After some clarification, the press recognized the Dragon's Lounge and La Fée Bleu as separate restaurants—though people did often ponder a fusion restaurant to open with Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox as partners.

The popularity of both restaurants grew which caused the two restaurateurs to lose track of time. They rarely saw each other as they were wrapped up in maintaining the functionality of their establishment. It was rare for them to see more than a glance of each other.

"Good night Miss Levy!" Juvia waved to the woman as she followed the kitchen brigade that was going out for a night of drinking—apparently with Gajeel's waitstaff.

Levy waved back. "Good night, have fun." She smiled. Once she was sure all the staff was gone, she collapsed onto the table—scattering some papers. She was exhausted. "I don't remember the last time I got a full night of sleep." She muttered to herself. Before she could stop herself, she nodded off to sleep.

Suddenly, Levy felt someone shake her gentle. "Shrimp…shrimp!" she gasped a little as she woke up.

She looked up and rubbed her eyes. "Gajeel?" Once her vision cleared, she noticed that the man's hair was down and wild, and that he was out of his formal clothes. He was wearing sweats and a white muscle shirt.

Gajeel looked down at her. "What are you doing here? It's two in the morning."

Levy groaned. "I must have fallen asleep while organizing these bills." She paused. "What about you?"

"I was heading out when I noticed that the lights in your dining room were still on. If you plan on staying late, you should at least lock the doors. It's not safe here so late especially if you're gonna fall asleep." Gajeel explained.

Levy sighed and rubbed her head. "Yeah you're right." She sighed. "Dang, I need to relax more."

Gajeel nodded and looked around. "Well I'm gonna go get a drink before going home…" he paused awkwardly. "You wanna join me?

Levy was surprised by the invitation especially after the butcher incident from a few days ago, but smiled. She nodded. "Uh yeah sure…let me get my stuff." Levy stood up and collected her papers. She went to her office to drop them off and grabbed her jacket along with her phone and wallet. She locked up the back doors before joining Gajeel in the dining room.

They went out the front door, and Levy locked the door. They started walking side by side. "So how do you know there's a bar opened?" Levy asked.

Gajeel snickered slightly. "Chefs know where to hang out after a long night shift." Levy nodded, that made sense. "So shortstack, we seem to busy lately."

"Yeah things have been crazy since the food festival." Levy agreed.

"Gihi, I still can't believe that they thought we were one restaurant. I don't really have the reputation as a 'classically-trained chef.' That was a mess." Gajeel grinned.

Levy laughed. "You don't know how many people came in asking for pulled pork nachos."

"Oh please, one woman complained that the server refused to serve duck confit." Gajeel replied when they stopped to cross the street. "It took the press forever to clear that up."

Levy smiled and nodded. "People still come in every now and then asking for your menu items."

"Jeez, apparently we'd make a great fusion restaurant." Gajeel replied.

Levy shrugged. "I don't know. We'd be like David McMillan and Frederic Morin." She chuckled.

Gajeel shook his head. "Oh god no, I've hung out with those guys. _Nothing_ compares to those crazy Canadians." Levy giggled as she followed Gajeel down a wet sidewalk—the streetlights gave a soft glow against the water. It was a very mellow night.

They suddenly turned into an alley, and Levy grew a bit cautious. "Hmm." She said once the alley light started flickering.

Gajeel snickered. "Relax shrimp, it'll be okay." The bluenette simply hugged tighter onto her jacket.

The two walked to the end of the alley where a old wooden door waited. It was worn out with chipped yellow paint. It seemed like the entrance of some horrifying meat shop. Levy tried to not to look so concerned. Gajeel was nice enough to invite her; she could at least trust him. Outside of the little pranks and competitive drive, he wasn't necessarily a bad person.

Gajeel knocked some seemingly random rhythm onto the door. There was some hesitation, but soon a man opened the door. He was extremely short and wore chef whites. He glared at Gajeel but quickly beamed once he saw he had company. "I didn't know you had a friend." He chuckled.

Gajeel cussed. "Don't fuck with me gramps. I had a long day."

The old man laughed and stepped to the side to let them in. "Don't we all? This is the restaurant biz."

"I'm Levy McGarden. It's nice to meet you." Levy quickly stuttered out. As she entered, she realized it was the back door to a restaurant—well more specifically a bar.

"I'm Makarov Dreyar. It's wonderful to meet such a young, thriving success story like yourself." The old man smiled.

Levy shook her head. "No it's my honor. I studied your work while I was in school."

Makarov beamed. "That' very nice to hear." He led the two to a makeshift sitting area where other people dressed in their chef whites and other kitchen clothes. "Gajeel, is Juvia not coming tonight?"

"Nah, she's probably harassing the stripper boy I got on my wait staff." Gajeel chuckled. He showed Levy to a table where some line cooks were. "Evening nerds, this is a friend of mind—Levy." The men shook her hand, and they sat.

"So Miss Levy, you're a restaurateur right?" one guy, called Loke, asked.

Levy blushed slightly; she wasn't used to so many men's attention on her. She nodded. "Yes, I own La Fée Bleu."

"So tell me, are you those restaurateurs that just eat or can you actually cook?" another man named Elfman asked.

Levy laughed. It was a rather strange question to her. "I can cook. I'm not professionally trained and definitely can't run a kitchen, but I understand how the kitchen works."

"Oh thank God, remember that stage we had to do in Seattle, Gajeel? That owner was an asshole." Laxys chuckled.

Gajeel groaned and rubbed his forehead. "That was a waste of time. That idiot was trying to tell me that you couldn't deglaze a pan with red wine! That was the worst stage we had to do for school." Though Levy enjoyed hearing the different stories the men had to share, she couldn't help but feel left out. While things were changing, the culinary industry was still a man's world for the most part.

"Hey Loke, get me and the shrimp some drinks." Gajeel said.

"Planning on staying late?" Elfman asked.

Gajeel shook his head. "Nah, Lily has been having my ass with how late I've been coming into work. Plus, I gotta get this shrimp home safely." He winked at Levy. The woman crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.

"Well it's nice to have another woman to join us here. These boys tend to get out of hand." Makarov smiled.

Levy returned the gesture. "Well it's nice to be accepted here so quickly."

The old man laughed. "Of course, we've been waiting forever to meet the woman that has been patronizing Gajeel since he opened his place. What you did at the butcher shop was definitely comical."

Levy blushed and quickly turned her head to the man. "You've been talking about me?"

Gajeel sipped the liquor Loke had given him. "Drunk." He snickered. Levy shook her head. _This man!_ "Don't worry shrimp, nothing you don't want people knowing." He winked once more. Levy couldn't believe it. He said that as if he _knew_ the things he was implying.

The woman grumbled as she sipped her drink. "So is this where all the city's chefs hang?"

Makarov nodded. "It's a refuge for us after our long day. Not many people understand our line of work. Not even the restaurateurs—no offence."

Levy waved her hand as she finished her drink. "I get it, really. I took a stage as a garde manger for extra college credits, and it was a pain working the night shift. The expediter was always making eyes at the hostess. Plus, line cooks are relentless flirts." She chuckled.

Loke lifted his beer. "I can confess to that."

"Yeah we know." Laxus snickered.

"Hey man, chicks in the business are tough. I would never get on Juvia's bad side." Gajeel added.

"They're manly! One woman I worked with didn't leave until she was eight months pregnant. Most guys call in for a fever." Elfman grinned.

For the next couple of hours, the group of chefs talked and enjoyed their liquor. They laughed and shared stories. Levy enjoyed herself and was glad to be a part of this group. She really didn't talk to anyone outside of the group of friends she hired at the restaurant and even then she worked nonstop. It was late when Levy and Gajeel left.

Levy led the way to her apartment building. Gajeel followed in a tipsy cloud of happiness.

"Thanks Gajeel." Levy said after some silence.

Gajeel grunted before looking at the woman. "For what shrimp?"

Levy blushed and messed with her hands. "Letting me come with you. I didn't realize how much I needed to unwind."

Gajeel snickered. "You're too nice woman." He paused and looked at the sky. "It ain't a problem shrimp."

Levy pouted. "I am a bit irritated that you've been talking about me though."

Gajeel laughed and pulled the woman under his arm. "Come on shrimp, you make it seem like I said what type of panties you wear or something."

Levy rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't even know that." Gajeel snickered. "…GAJEEL!"

The man laughed. "I don't know; I swear."

Levy puffed her cheeks and walked up the stairs of her apartment building. "Good bye Mister Redfox."

"Formalities? Damn shrimp, why so cold?" Levy didn't respond. "Gihi, good night shrimp." The man watched the woman entered the building and close the door. He waited a bit and saw a light come on from behind a curtain. He chuckled to himself and started walking—disappearing into the night.

* * *

Gajeel hollered as he was suddenly woken up.

"Get your ass up!"

He groaned. "What the hell…what time is it?" he sat up on his couch.

"Fucking 11:45a.m. Do you know how late you are?" Lily stood over his friend. Gajeel cussed. "What did I say about staying late? What the hell were you doing?"

Gajeel groaned as he leaned his head against the wall. "I was at Makarov's place." Lily groaned. "Only until like 4 something."

"You say that as if it's not late." Lily argued.

Gajeel shrugged and threw a shirt on. "I had a reason to leave that early."

"Yeah because you knew I would have been on your ass. And here I am!" Lily yelled before continuing to scold Gajeel.

"I had company." Gajeel stated plainly.

Lily stopped his rant. "You did?...who?"

Gajeel stood up and stretched. "None of your business. Can't I have my own fun."

"Oh please, you wouldn't bring _anyone_ to Makarov's…was it Miss Levy?" Lily reasoned.

"Jesus, is that the only person you can think of?" Gajeel snapped as he walked into his bedroom.

Lily followed. "I'm not hearing a no." he cooed.

"Fuck off."

Lily giggled. "I see. It makes sense; she's the only one who would be out that late. Plus, she's in the industry. You're making moves, Kurogane." Gajeel grumbled. "Okay, I'm definitely gossiping with Juvia about this later."

"Don't you dare!" Gajeel shouted.

"Oh so it was her?"

Gajeel cussed and grabbed a towel from the floor. "You piss me off."

"It's my job. Now, get ready. You have fifteen minutes." Lily smiled. Gajeel gave him the bird before going into the shower.

It was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

How was that? I wanted to incorporate some more Fairy Tail characters into this story. What are your thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8: Good News

Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkuh and Kwanzaa. And cheers to the New Years! I've found some inspiration thanks to another Chef!Gajevy story on here called Compliments to the Chef by epeolatryx. You guys should totally check it out! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter here. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Levy gasped as she read the letter in her hand! "Juvia! Oh my god!"

The cool-headed chef came from the kitchen and into Levy's office. "Yes Ms. McGarden?"

Levy didn't move her eyes from the paper and waved her hands. "Juvia, it's been years. You can call me Levy." She giggled as she read the paper one last time before finally looking up at the woman. "We've been nominated…" she gasped.

Juvia turned her head curiously. She crossed her arms. "Nominated for what Miss Levy."

Levy squealed. "A James Beard Award!"

* * *

"Kurogane?...Kurogane?"

Gajeel knocked back a shot. The dinner shift had just ended, and the staff was working on closing up the restaurant. "Yeah?"

Lily took a seat at the bar. "You good? You have been in a…rather pleasant mood today." Gajeel giggled. "Who did this to you?"

Gajeel shook his head while snickering. He reached into his suit pocket and took out an envelope. It was white and had an emblem that was gold and maroon. Lily recognized the symbol and quickly took the envelope from Gajeel's hand.

He grabbed the letter that was inside and skimmed over the words. Lily looked at Gajeel with eyes filled with disbelief. Gajeel nodded. "I already called and checked their website. It's legit."

Lily laughed loudly. He uncharacteristically hopped over the bar and proceeded to pour several shots into an array of glasses. "Shots on me guys! We deserve it!" The staff cheered and swiftly finished their work before joining the restaurateur and chef at the bar.

"What are we celebrating?" Gray asked as he took his shot and added some ice to it.

Natsu took his as well. "I'm guessing that the Boss and Miss Levy are getting together." He laughed.

Gajeel punched him in the arm. "No you dimwit. We got nominated for a James Beard Award."

Gray laughed and learned as arm against Natsu's shoulder. "Not what we expected, but that's definitely some good news."

Lily chuckled. "So who are the other nominees for our region?"

Gajeel paused and shook his head. "Actually, I don't know. Didn't check."

"Well it doesn't matter! We got it in the bag!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly. Gajeel grinned. There definitely wasn't anything that could stop him and his staff from winning.

* * *

Gajeel and Lily walked into the back of Makarov's place with high spirits. They had good news to share with their culinary peers and weren't afraid to get a bit wild with them.

However, as the two men walked through the makeshift bar, they noticed that spirits were already high and celebratory. At the center of the commotion was Levy McGarden and Juvia Lockser—who were the main ones sharing jokes and laughing with the men.

"Gajeel-kun! Juvia is so happy to see you!" Juvia beamed brightly. Gajeel nodded and took a seat around the women. Lily did the same.

"You guys are lively." Lily smiled.

Levy nodded. "Well we received some good news today and wanted to share."

"Oh really? We did too." Lily replied.

"Oh! Then tell us. Juvia and Levy have been going on for a while. What happened?" Juvia went on.

Lily looked at Gajeel who was taking a drink from Loke. Gajeel sipped it before speaking. "We got nominated for 'Best Up-and-Coming Restaurant' by the James Beard Foundation." He smirked at the petite bluenette. "What about you shrimp?"

Levy winked at Gajeel. "Congratulations, we did as well." The men laughed as Gajeel and Lily's face quickly were painted with shock and confusion.

The Dragon Lounge chef leaned back in his chair and opened a can of beer. "I'm not surprised. The restaurants opened near the same time and have been quite successful together."

Makarov smiled. "It's good that you youngsters can have some competition, and you make a good point Lily."

"Damn shrimp, I just can't get ahead of you hmm?" Gajeel muttered.

Levy grunted. "Jeez, must you call me that?"

"It's good that Miss Levy gives you a run for your money. I could work for a girl like that." Loke chuckled.

Gajeel raised a brow. "What happened where you worked?"

Loke smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, the hostess was not fond of my antics." He winked at Levy—who then blushed and played with the hem of her shirt.

"It is not good to lose your job because of women. The industry is changing." Elfman commented.

Lily laughed and nodded. "Yeah I bet if you crossed Levy or Juvia, they'll have a knife at your neck in a heartbeat."

Makarov snickered. "I had a mentor who struck fear into the entire line cook staff. One time when she caught someone looking at her in a certain manner, she nearly put his hand in a meat grinder."

Loke sighed. "I mean, I wouldn't mind working for Miss Levy. Rumor has it that your staff is all women."

Levy smiled and nodded. "When I was school, I heard a lot of stories about how few women were in the industry, and I decided that it would be nice if I could have a girl staff." She sipped her drink. "However, I wouldn't mind letting you work there until you find another place…if that's okay with Juvia."

"Juvia will cut you if you try anything." The woman said in a cold voice. That was technically a yes.

Loke gasped excitedly and hugged Levy. "Oh you're so wonderful Boss. I won't let you down."

Levy laughed. "No problem, we've been looking for a new garde manger for a while."

Gajeel shook his head. "Don't come complaining to me if lover boy causes any problems with your staff."

Levy laughed menacingly. "Oh trust me, those girls can take care of themselves."

"Well it's always great to see fellow chefs doing great things. Have some food and drink." Makarov took a crate and put a piece of cardboard over it. He then placed a couple of plates on top. "Congratulations to the Dragon's Longue and La Fée Bleu!" The room cheered.

* * *

It was one of the rare days that the restaurant was closed meaning that Levy could stay home and relax.

"Oh my gosh Natsu, I'm hanging out with Levy-chan. I'll talk to you later." Lucy kept her cell phone on her shoulder while she focused on painting her nails. She was over Levy's place for some quality best friend time. Though they saw each other nearly every day, it was sometimes difficult to bond when they had jobs to do in order for the restaurant to be successful.

After Lucy hung up, Levy looked from her book down to Lucy who was sitting on the floor. "What was that about?"

Lucy waved her hand. "Oh nothing. Natsu has the day off, so he wanted to come over to my place." They had been dating for a few months now.

"Oh then why don't you go? You two don't usually have the day off together." Levy asked as she stood up and went into the kitchen.

Lucy shook her head. "Nah, you're always busy. I want to hang with you." Levy came back and handed her friend a mug with some tea. "Thank you." Lucy smelled the drink before sipping. "So the award ceremony is in a few weeks. Do you know who you're bringing as a date?"

Levy laughed before sitting back on the couch. "A date? Lu-chan, what are you talking about?"

Lucy sat up and turned to face her friend. "Well, I was looking on the foundation's website and saw some pictures from the previous years' ceremonies. Most of the chefs and restaurateurs bring dates."

Levy shrugged. "So I'll have Juvia there with me. Why would I need a date?"

"What if people think you're together!?" Levy scoffed at her friend. "Oh please, it is the 21st century, but come on! There's nothing wrong with having a date to go with you."

Levy stretched out on her couch. "What am I supposed to do? I spend all my time at the restaurant. How am I going to find a date to come with me?"

Lucy groaned and shook her head. "You don't need to meet anyone. Just ask a guy you know."

"The only guys I interact with daily are Gajeel, Lily, and any of their employees or food purveyors." Levy looked and saw the smug look on Lucy face. "What?" Lucy giggled. "What?" Levy said louder.

Lucy shook her head and sipped her tea. "Well…what about Gajeel?"

"Oh my god Lu-chan, no."

"Come on! Levy, you two have been flirting with each other since day one of the restaurant. Why not get dolled up and go with him?" Lucy argued.

"That is not true! And besides, Gajeel is a nominee himself. Wouldn't that be weird if we went together?" Levy commented.

"Ugh, you just don't want to admit that you have a crush on him." Lucy stretched on the floor.

"You sound like a school girl. Crush? Okay yeah, Gajeel is one sexy dude, but he doesn't want anything to do with me." Levy opened her book.

There were a few moments of silence before Lucy chuckled. "Well I heard that he took you out one night after everyone was gone…teehee, is that true Levy-chan?"

The bluenette hid her blush behind her book. "It was just a couple of drinks. Nothing more." Lucy kept on laughing. "Oh my gosh whatever, turn on Netflix. I wanna catch up on some stuff."

* * *

Lily hung up the phone and looked at Gajeel; he chuckled.

Gajeel looked at him confusingly. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. That was a chef friend from New York. I was asking him how these James Beard things go. He went on about appearance, having your chef coming—which I wasn't concerned about—and bringing a date." Lily smirked. Gajeel looked at him for a second before shaking his head and drinking his coffee. "Oh really, you're ignoring me?"

"Yep." Gajeel said before walking away. "I know where this is going so."

Lily chuckled. "Where is it going?"

Gajeel stopped and turned towards his friend. "You're going to say that I should ask 'a certain bluenette' to be my date. Are you serious? We're both nominees!"

"So what? A little competition doesn't kill a relationship." Lily argued as he took a seat in the kitchen.

Gajeel scoffed. "What relationship Lily? We're just…" his voice trailed off. Redfox really didn't have a word to describe his relationship with the restaurateur across the street from him. They weren't co-workers but agreeably more than acquaintances.

Lily crossed him arms. "You took her to Makarov's." Gajeel grunted and nodded. He couldn't argue with that. The bluenette had become somewhat of a friend to Gajeel over the few years they've interacted due to their restaurants. Lily snickered and stretched. It had been another long day at the restaurant. "You should ask her."

"She'll say no."

"Wanna bet?"

There was a strange glint in Lily's eyes. It was as if Lily knew that he'd win, but Gajeel just let him have it. "I don't bet."

Lily hooted in laughter. "That's a damn lie. No money. Just to prove a point."

Gajeel was silent for a while then groaned. "Whatever. I don't care."

"I'll check with Juvia, so don't lie to me." Lily smiled.

"Whatever."

* * *

A date proposal has been in place, and I hope you all look forward to it. As always, please share any thoughts of the story and Happy New Year as well!


	9. Chapter 9: New York New York

A week had passed and neither restaurateur asked the other to the accompany them to the James Beard Ceremony. In fact, the two had been rather standoffish without the other realizing that they both had the same question to ask. At the current moment, Levy had been dragged out of the restaurant one night that they closed early for a shopping trip. Unbeknownst to the bluenette however, all her friends knew that the dressed they sought after was something that they all would think a certain Chef Redfox would enjoy seeing. It really wasn't about Levy's sense of style that evening.

The evening air was crisp, and the young women were dressed in their own variety of jacket and scarf.

Levy sighed. "This really isn't necessary. I know how you all look forward to the nights when we close early. I could have gone shopping on my own time."

Cana laughed as a beer can came out of her purse. "Oh please Levy-chan, we know how much time you spend at that restaurant. There would be no time for you to go shopping." Levy chuckled a little.

"Is there any color that you're looking for?" Juvia asked sweetly. She played the part when she was definitely the one who would be consulted for information on Gajeel's type of women and their apparel.

Levy scratched her cheek and thought for a moment. "Well I do like orange…but yellow and green are nice too."

Lucy groaned and threw an arm around the bluenette's shoulder. "Come on Levy, the last dress you bought was orange…let's try something different?"

Levy looked at her friend's cautiously. "Like what?"

"I know a place nearby. Let's go there." Erza answered. The girls followed the woman around the shopping district that was nearby the girls.

For the next two hours, the girls pulled Levy to different stores showing her dresses that were made out of lace or velvet or in a range of different colors like black or dark blue. Levy soon grew more and more suspicious about her friends' doings. The bluenette didn't have an issue with a change of style, but why was everyone pushing her to do something different? While Cana and Erza were with Juvia—who was trying on a dress, Levy pulled Lucy to the side.

"What's up?" Lucy giggled at her friend.

Levy looked at her for a moment before sighing. "Why is everyone trying to…get me to buy these certain dresses?" She didn't know why, but words were failing her at the moment.

Lucy turned her head a bit. "What do you mean?"

Levy sighed then took in a deep breath. "Why can't I just get a simple dress or something? Why go for something so…sexy and different?"

Lucy laughed and hugged her friend. "Aww Levy, we just wanna get you to try something new. That's all! There's nothing wrong with you being sexy!" she winked.

Levy blushed and thought for a moment. She definitely did not expect for her restaurant to be nominated for the award, and it had been awhile since she had the opportunity to get out of her busy lifestyle to have some fun and show off her accomplishments. Levy would say she had been a bit too humble. There was nothing wrong with accepting the things you succeeded in life and being proud of yourself.

"Alright Lu-chan, let's find this dress, so we can get something to eat." Levy smiled in high spirits.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered. When the other girls came back, they went to another store that Erza insisted had the _perfect_ dress for their lovely boss.

They looked around the little boutique before Cana gasped and called the girls to the dress she was looking at. It was a gorgeous sangria red dress that was velvet mostly but ended in a sheer lace skirt. It had thin straps that met at the back of the neck. The women ogled the dress for a few silent minutes. To Levy, it was the perfect dress to get out of shell. To her friends, it was the perfect dress to get Redfox to pounce on her the moment he saw Levy in it. Their daze went on for another moment before the important question was asked.

"How much does it cost?" Juvia asked.

The girls watched in anticipation as Cana reached for the price tag that was connected to the dress. When she flipped it over, the girls immediately groaned. It was…well expensive to say the least.

"That's fucking ridiculous." Cana snapped before letting go off the dress.

Juvia shook her head. "Just when Juvia thought we found Miss Levy the perfect dress…"

Levy looked around the store. "Well, I'm sure there are some other nice dresses here."

Erza remained quiet before exclaiming, "No this is the perfect dress for you! I'll help you pay for it!"

Levy shook her head. "Oh no Erza, I couldn't let you do that. It's not that important."

"Nonsense. This is a great honor for you to be nominated. I'll help you out." Erza retorted.

"But I couldn't have received this nomination without all of you. I can't just ask you to help me pay for this dress." Levy argued.

"No one said you were asking. I'm helping too." Cana interjected. "It's too beautiful for you to pass up." Soon Juvia and Lucy decided they would do the same. Before Levy could argue, Cana called over the owner of the boutique.

"Evening ladies, are you looking to buy this dress." One woman with white-blonde hair greeted.

"No, actually-,"

Cana interrupted Levy. "Yes we are. My friend here is in the chef business and got nominated for a James Beard Award."

The woman clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooo, a chef? My brother's a chef. My name's Mirajane Strauss by the way."

"Strauss? Oh does that mean Elfman is your brother?" Juvia asked.

Mirajane beamed immediately. "Oh you know my brother! Yes, I'm his older sister." She looked at the dress that girls were crowded around. "This is a special piece, but any friend of Elfman's is a friend of mine. I can definitely give you a discount on that dress!"

Levy gasped. "Oh my gosh, are you serious? This is a really nice dress; you don't have to!"

Mira waved her hand and took the dress from where it hung. "Don't worry about it. A nomination is a reason to celebrate! Don't worry about little things like money and such." The girls followed her to the register. "Enjoy yourself ladies. I hope you all come by another time." She rung up the dress, and Levy watched as her friends all paid before she could grab her wallet.

Lucy handed Levy the dress. "Oh! I'm so happy we got you a dress."

Levy took the bag and hugged all her friends. "Thank you so much. You guys are the best!"

Erza smiled at her friend. "Aww, no problem. You'll look absolutely gorgeous in it."

"Anyway, let's get something to eat. I'm starving!" Cana chuckled before leading the way. Levy and the girls happily followed. Levy was overjoyed. _I have the best friends every!_

* * *

In the time before the award ceremony, the two restaurateurs were occupied with making sure their restaurants would run smoothly while they were in New York; this would be the first time the two would be gone—a true test as to whether or not their restaurants would run on their own. While Levy was getting Loke situated into the kitchen, Gajeel was ignoring the "bet" he had made with Lily. He knew he didn't necessarily need to be afraid of asking the bluenette out, but he also didn't want embarrass himself. If Levy rejected him, Gajeel would have to live with it for the rest of his life. And his friends would make sure that he remembered too.

Levy and Gajeel did hang out; however, one wouldn't notice the nervous looks that were expressed when the other was around. To Gajeel, Levy was a well-put together woman who had a great work ethic to get what she dreamed of. As for Gajeel, Levy believed that Gajeel was a serious, yet sometimes laid-back man who enjoyed her company. They were friends…no doubt about it. They had busy lives, yet they could understand each other and not grow irritated. Gajeel would never admit it, but he was kind of glad to meet Levy. Anyone would agree that if they hadn't had the same occupation in the same city that it was highly unlikely that they'd meet. However, the bluenette added some variety and interest in his already unpredictable life. Levy was a challenge and a feisty one at that. Maybe that's why Gajeel took such a liking to her over the years.

The week had come for Levy and Gajeel to head for New York. Interestingly enough, the staff of both restaurants had a potluck dinner together to send wishes to their respected bosses. The night before Levy and Juvia departed, Makarov cooked for all the chefs and cooks that were over to send them off.

It was a long flight, but Levy couldn't contain her excited.

She was in New York!

* * *

Lily tried his best to balance his and Gajeel's carry-ons in one arm while Gajeel depended on him for balance on the other side. It was not an exaggeration to say that Redfox was not a good flyer…or train passenger…or occupant of any vehicle that used an engine to go. Buses were okay, but Lily still had yet to figure out how a stubborn, stern man like Gajeel was handicapped by transportation.

By the time they were close to luggage pick up, Gajeel had returned to his senses and gained enough strength to take his carry-on from Lily and to grab his suitcase. When Lily could finally relax for a bit, the two went to the taxi pick up lane to catch a ride to the hotel. The taxi driver helped the men put their luggage before heading to the center to the city. He made small talk with the men—mainly asking them what brings them to the Big Apple and seeing if they were New Yorkers or just tourists. Even though neither Gajeel nor Lily were originally from New York, school and later work had molded them into people who understood the city and appreciated it for what it was. After discussing some local restaurants, the driver was impressed and rather glad about the customers in his vehicle.

Soon they were at the hotel just in time for check-in. The men were looking for Juvia and Levy.

"Juvia asked me to text her once we arrived." Lily told his friend.

Gajeel shrugged as they approached their room. "They're probably sightseeing or something. I don't think the Shrimp's ever been here."

Lily opened the door and let Gajeel in. "Well if that's the case, then we should just relax for a bit. We'll probably we out late."

"Gihi, we gotta a lotta people to see." Gajeel snickered.

Lily collapsed on a bed and grinned. "And food to eat."

* * *

The two guys ran into Levy and Juvia in the hotel lobby on a late snack run. Levy looked like a tourist as she had a camera hanging around her neck and surprise still lingering in her eyes. It was cute, Gajeel thought to himself.

"Oh you guys are already here!" Levy beamed brightly. She was definitely in a cheerful mood.

Lily nodded. "Yup we landed this morning."

"Oh then why didn't you text Juvia? She was worried that something went wrong." The woman confessed.

Gajeel patted the woman on the head and gestured towards Levy. "We figured you were showing the shrimp around. It's been a while since we were on the East Coast, so you probably had some things you wanted to do too."

"Well, what are you guys up to now?" Levy asked curiously.

"Going on a snack run, maybe see an old friend of ours." Lily answered. Levy nodded.

Gajeel could feel her amusement. He snickered to himself. "You can tag along shrimp. We goota show you some good food spots while we're here."

Levy lit up. "Really?"

"Of course shrimp, but please lose the camera."

* * *

Ooo, I really enjoyed writing that chapter. I like where this story is going at the moment, and I would love to hear all of your thoughts.

Again, thank you for reading. You guys are great. :)


	10. Chapter 10: It's A Date

Gajeel got Levy into some more casual clothes that didn't stand out. Juvia decided to stay at the hotel, so the three left and were out on the street. Levy was going to question why they didn't call for a taxi but kept her mouth shut. She didn't really want to stand out, so she was content with learning the ways of New York without questioning everything.

Gajeel stared at his phone before groaning in rage. "Damn it! I can't work this thing at all! Are we close or not?"

Lily chuckled and grabbed Gajeel's phone. "It's amazing that a guy like you isn't tech-savvy in the least possible way." He fiddled around with phone for a bit. "We have another three blocks to go before we get to 5th Avenue."

Levy stopped walking for a moment and stretched. "What's at 5th Avenue?"

Lily handed Gajeel his phone. "We have a pair of old co-workers that own a food truck. They post their location every day online."

"They're real idiots to be honest. They were culinary interns at the restaurant Lily and I worked out; I didn't even think they'd last long in the industry." Gajeel snickered.

Lily rolled his eyes. "I'm sure people said the same thing about you."

Gajeel didn't lose his grin and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, that's because people figured I'd get locked up or overdose on something. I'm talking about toughness. Those two dorks didn't seem all that when they were younger."

"I can totally relate." Levy chuckled. The three continued walking while chatting on a variety of small topics.

Soon they came across a black and white food truck that was parked outside an office building. There was a long line, but Levy could read the sign, 'YIN-YANG EATS,' from the distance. Magnolia had a great food truck scene, but that didn't stop her excitement. This was New York City! Everything was going to be new for her!

"Damn, we're gonna be in this line all day." Gajeel grumbled. He looked at the shrimp and noticed the wide smile that was on her face. "Jeez shrimp, it's just a food truck."

Levy blushed and quickly turned away. "I know but…I've seen it on TV. I'm just excited to be eating some really good food."

"Gihi, well be patient. We can't push our way to the front." Gajeel snickered. Levy sighed. _Oh if only~_

Time passed, and the three waited in line for about thirty minutes. As time went on, Levy agonized even as the line got shorter and watched people leave with different Japanese treats. Levy wanted everything she saw; she knew she should take the opportunity to decided what she would eat before they were in front, but there was so much to choose. She tried to distract herself with conversation.

The line moved up once more. "Lily, I see more Japanese food than Chinese."

Lily chuckled and smiled. "Hmm must be Rogue's week for menu selection." Levy cocked her head to the side a little. "Oh well, Rogue grew up with Japanese parents while Sting studied Chinese food in school. I know it can be a little confusing because of the name, but it plays off their personalities."

"They're weird." Gajeel snorted. "I just wanna see how the food is."

Lilly rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You say that as if they started the food truck right out of college."

"They're young."

"What about you?"

"What does that mean, old man?"

"Hey, don't you go and-,"

"NEXT!"

The two men turned and saw the line had moved with Levy peering into the window. She was blushing as she looked at the two young men who were inside the food truck. One had red eyes and black hair while the other had blonde hair. Both wore a white bandana and a plain t-shirt.

"Hmm looks like we got a first timer, Rogue." The one white blonde hair grinned. "Well miss, I'd love to go over the menu with you, but we got a long line."

"Don't be rude," the other one—Rogue—replied. "What are you in the mood for?"

Levy scratched her cheek. "I don't know everything looks so good!" she looked at both sides of the menu. She sudden felt a hard tap on her back and jumped.

"Okay, I want takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and dango. Three of each." Gajeel's voice boomed behind her as she looked up at him.

The two chefs quickly reacted to seeing their old friend. "Gajeel! What's up man?" Sting exclaimed.

"Lily is that you? You guys should have came to the back of the truck instead of waiting in line." Rogue smiled. "Are you with the miss?"

"Yeah, we're showing the shrimp around. In town for a bit." Gajeel answered with a grunt. Levy wasn't sure how she fit in with this strange reunion.

Rogue smiled at Levy. "Well come around and we'll bring you the food. We're trying to finish up this spot before we run out of food."

Before anyone could object, Lily hooked his arms around Gajeel and Levy and lead the way. He was one who always thought it was good to spend time with friends no matter what rush they may be in. Plus, it beat sitting on concrete while they ate.

The back door of the food truck was opened, and the three saw two other workers moving about while the owners took orders. Rogue handed them their food and returned to work. Gajeel and Lily quickly began eating while Levy basked in the beauty of the dumplings and pancakes before her. She took pictures for a bit before Gajeel snatched her phone out her hand.

"Eat your food before it gets cold." He grumbled.

Levy stuck out her tongue before biting in. She moaned. "It's so good." She beamed.

Lily laughed. "Of course it is. There's nothing better than street food."

"I've always had an affinity for fake Chinese food, but this is better than the place by my apartment. And I've been going there for years!" Levy chuckled.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and ate his food in silence. He wasn't as visibly enthusiastic about it as Levy-chan, but he did look pleased. He would never admit it aloud, but those two goofballs had come along way since being culinary interns. They sat around for awhile before they realized that the line had disappeared. The crew was cleaning and getting ready to pack up for the day.

Rogue and Sting both took a cement block and tossed it on the road as a makeshift seat. The other two workers were on the other side of the truck smoking. They brought out a small cooler and passed around some beers.

Sting stretched and sighed in contempt. "So what brings you here? Gonna hit up all the boroughs?"

Gajeel snickered with pride and shrugged. "Well I'd love to, but I might be too busy. You know how James Beard nominations go, gihi."

Lily glared at him. "Oh how, high school prom queen on you."

Rogue chuckled and raised his can. "Well congratulations, I'm sure the competition doesn't have much on you."

Lily chuckled and playfully punched Levy in the shoulder. "Yeah well I'd believe that if we didn't have this one as competition." Levy immediately blushed and giggled to herself.

Rogue's expression suddenly grew interested. "Oh you're in the industry, Miss…"

"Levy." The bluenette answered. "I'm just a humble restaurateur."

Gajeel popped open another can. "Oh humble my ass. You've been shitting with me since we opened up."

Levy's boldness immediately let itself be shown. "Excuse me Redfox, I wasn't the one who said your restaurant would last eight months."

Gajeel groaned. "Jesus, you keep throwing that in my face woman!" The two started bickering in their own world.

"They're dating right?" Sting laughed grinned and gestured to the arguing pair.

Lily sighed a shrug his shoulders. "If only. I don't know what's wrong with either of them."

Rogue toasted once more. "Well I hope New York brings you guys some peace. A moment to bond with friends."

* * *

To bond with friends means to be with them during the high and lows. Birthdays and funerals. Parties and antisocial episodes. TV marathons and a character death.

At this current moment, our crew of Juvia and Levy with Gajeel and Lily were vastly hungover at a local dinner.

"I want to shoot myself." Levy groaned with her head on the table. Juvia rubbed her own head and sighed multiple times as they waited for their food. Gajeel sat quietly with a pair of shades to hide his red…well the red in the whites of his eyes.

Yes, sometimes bonding with friends and making friends for a few long nights at several bars is a great bonding moment. So is soaking up all that alcohol with so much greasy breakfast food that it would scare your doctor.

Levy did enjoy her night out. Most of Gajeel's buddies told her that she had great potential which she enjoyed. She could see where Gajeel got some of inspiration from the dishes his co-workers presented them. However, there was a lot of alcohol as well. This was just a consequence.

Lily attempted to lighten the painful atmosphere. "So what are the plans for today?" he meant well, but even his voice was pained.

"Dying." Levy groaned.

"Juvia wants to hide under her bed."

Gajeel simply muttered a few unintelligent words. Lily rubbed his forehead. That was his cue just to let everyone deal with their own misery.

The waitress brought a variety of breakfast foods from steak and eggs, waffles, omelets, hashbrowns, and sausages. The crew munched it down without hesitation. It mirrored a scene from a nature documentary: a pride of lions having on a fresh catch.

After some moments of quiet eating, Levy glanced at her phone. The brightness troubled her eyes, but she groaned when she realized the date.

"Gajeel," she started off. The man grunted as he shoved a fork of waffles into his mouth. "Tonight's the night."

* * *

"Levy-chan! Tonight's the ceremony! I'm so excited!" Lucy cheered from the video-chat app on her phone.

Levy laughed loudly which moved the water in her bubble bath. She knew she had to get out soon, but there was no big rush. She knew that none of the press would want to talk to her, and Juvia already left to try and see some of her friends. Levy needed a break from socializing and didn't mind showing up by herself. With or without company, it was going to be an exciting night for her.

"I'm am too! I'm about to get out the bath and finish up." Levy replied. "I'll call you no matter who wins the award. I'm just glad to be here."

Lucy nodded. "I'm proud of you no matter what. Now hurry up and get dressed, so Redfox can gobble you up in that dress." The best friend quickly mumbled that last part.

Levy turned her head slightly. "What was that Lu-chan?"

"Teehee, nothing nothing. I'm gonna get ready for tonight's shift. Bye, I love you!" And just like that Lucy hung up.

Levy stared at her phone confused for a second before putting it on the toilet and sinking further into the bubbly water. It was going to be her night…but she wasn't rushing to get out.

Later on, Redfox glared at himself in the mirror. He had on an all-black suit with a dark sangria red tie and silver dragon cufflinks. His hair was pulled back in a slick pony-tail. His pants were straight with a perfect crease; there were no wrinkles in the entire outfit really.

On a normal day, Redfox was one who didn't dress appearances but occasionally liked to look nice at the restaurant. However, today he had a particular urge to get every single detail of his outfit right. Lily had gone early, so he had nothing to distract him from his personal criticism. The ticking of the clock soon became too much. Soon he cussed and grabbed his things. Headed out the door, he knew exactly where he was headed.

Gajeel stood seemingly uninterested as he knocked on the hotel door that was only a couple floors from his. He half-hoped that no one was inside and that he had made a fool of himself. He fidgeted with his cufflinks for a second before he heard the door locks unlatch from the other side. He groaned. He looked down, prepared to meet the gaze of a particular bluenette but was not prepared for the sight of the Levy that was before him.

That wasn't the shrimp looking down at him. Who was that? Redfox gave credit—secretly—to Levy for her looks, but he was not ready for the woman whose space he intruded. He nearly choked. Levy looked up at him calmly.

Her hair was in a messy bun with a few meticulous curls hanging in the front. Her eyes were heavy with mascara and lips colored red complimenting the red dress she wore. It wasn't too much red thanks to the lace that covered the skirt. But the lace…ugh, Gajeel stopped right then. He wasn't going there. Not tonight.

"Yes, Gajeel?" Levy batted her eyes innocently. She looked as she was just about to step out when he knocked.

Gajeel groaned mentally. _Why am I doing this?_ "Bout to leave shrimp?"

Levy smiled as she nodded. "Yeah. I'm heading out. Why are you here though? Don't you have a date?"

"Gihi, you're my date shrimp. I got no one else." Gajeel smirked. Levy looked up at him confused, and he gestured to his arm—for her to take it.

Levy blushed slightly and giggled. "Well alright then, it's a date."

* * *

*WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! IT'S BEEN A FUCKING YEAR!* Yes, yes I know. Guys, I never get mad when my favorites fics didn't update, just sad. But I know the struggle! I've been trying to balance school and work for the last year. I still have my job, but even as my schedule increases, I wanna finish this fic. Fanfiction has really helped my creative abilities, and I wanna finish everything I start.

I know I'm not gonna update often, but I will finish. Thanks for the support guys. This chapter is a little rusty, but still review. Your support is great!


	11. Chapter 11: Awards Night

Levy could feel it. The eyes on her. The cameras in her direction. The curious glances from reporters and industry people alike. As her arm was around Gajeel's, she wasn't sure how she should feel. She was so self conscious she didn't know what to do.

"Breath shrimp. We look good together—one more than the other gihi." Gajeel flashed her smirk and wink.

Levy immediately blushed and pushed him away. "Stupid Gajeel. What do you know about looks?"

Gajeel had a dark look in his eyes as he pulled the bluenette towards him and wrapped his arm around her waist. They continued to stroll past the cameras and reporters. Gajeel leaned into Levy's ear and with a heavy breath whispered, "I know when someone is looking like a tempting meal. It's a shame I wasn't invited to dinner." And before Levy could even process what had been said, Gajeel's familiar warmth vanished, and she watched him as he walked away. "I'll see you from the stage once I get my reward. Bye McGarden."

Levy was stunned for a moment as she watched him walk away but soon puffed her cheeks. _Stupid Gajeel!_

* * *

As the night when on, Levy and Juvia talked and collectively fangirled over the variety of chefs and restauranteurs that were there. Some were competing for awards while others were just honored guests. To Levy's surprised, there were those who admired her and congratulated her on her nomination. Most told her that after only a few years of business it was certainly an honor to be recognized. Levy would have enjoyed the night unbothered if it weren't for the burning sensation she felt from peering eyes only a few hundred feet away. Levy turned around and glared at the raven-maned man.

Gajeel snickered and stuck his tongue out. He wasn't much for award ceremonies. He did enjoying seeing some of those from his past like old teachers and ex-coworkers. Lily was more for the networking that came with meeting all these culinary enthusiasts. After all, Lily was the executive chef—not Gajeel. The man sighed at the thought. _Can't even be the chef of my own restaurant._

"Don't be so down right now. This is a happy event." Lily patted his friend's shoulder.

Gajeel groaned and turned away from the bluenette whose appearance was just enough to distract him from his emotions. His piercing red eyes met Lily's soft brown ones. "I know it is." He grumbled.

Lily smiled brightly. "Then act like it. Bother McGarden later, this night is for us." Lily raised his champagne glass and chuckled whole-heartedly.

Gajeel clinked his glass against Lily's grinned. "For us."

The night when on with many wonderful drinks and sampler courses. Many different chefs and food industry people spoke or honored others for their contribution. Levy felt very humble and glad to be able to see people who inspired her even if it was from hundreds of yards away. It beat nights of books or hours of television. Levy still felt out of place.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it is time to announce the winner of the Southwest Restaurant of the Year Award." One man said into the mic on stage. The room quieted down. "The nominees are _La Fée Bleue_ and _The Dragon's Longue_ of Magnolia, owners Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox respectively," to both restauranteurs surprise, the audience clapped, "Teuchi's _Box of Love_ in San Francisco, and finally _Pleasure_ in San Diego started by chef Éric Ripert."

Levy and Gajeel both choked and stared at the screen that showed the nominees' names. Levy's eyes grew large. "Are you serious! Éric Ripert was a nominee?" she loudly whispered to Juvia.

The woman shrugged. "Juvia was not aware."

"Shit, if I knew he was a nominee, I wouldn't have bothered with a plane ticket." Gajeel rubbed his forehead. Lily sighed and hung his head low.

"And the winner is none other than…" the envelope opened, "Chef Éric Ripert's _Pleasure._ " The room filled with applause. There were only four seats who remained silent—the ignorant yet still inspired underdogs. So close yet so far.

And so, the ceremony went on and ended. The two from Magnolia were not too disappointed especially after a peaceful, whole-hearted congratulations and word of motivation from Éric Ripert himself. How could you be mad at one of your heroes?

* * *

Levy groaned as she laid in the bed. She loved being in the dress and all dolled up, but nothing beat a soft bed after a night in heels. She sighed. They would be back in Magnolia the day after next, but all Levy wanted to do was sleep. Juvia had crashed with some friends she met up with at the ceremony. Levy didn't want to be alone, but she understood why Juvia was gone. Some of these people hadn't seen her or Gajeel in years.

Levy paused in her thoughts. _Redfox._ Just his name caused a rush of recent memories. The way he looked. The nervousness when she realized he was seeing her in the dress her friends bought her. The burning sensation of his eyes taking in her appearance during the ceremony. _What was all that about?_ Levy blushed slightly as she shook her head. _It's two o clock in the morning. I need to go to bed._ The bluenette's eyes weren't close for even three seconds when there was a knock at her hotel door. _What the heck?_ Levy groaned as she got out of bed and put on her orange silk pajama pants. She made her way to the door fully prepared to give whoever was on the other side an earful. Levy looked up at the person. _Tall glass of water…tall glass of water._

The man's red eyes were lazy and unbothered. He stood in a gray wife-beater that clung to every muscle of his chest and torso. With every breath, you could practically see them flex. Gray and black flannel pajama pants hung low, and a typically tamed man was out and free.

"Hey shrimp," the smirk was seemingly mischievous but innocent of how much it added to Levy's torment.

Levy played hard to get. She didn't have the energy to entertain Redfox that night. That's what she told herself. "Redfox, what are you doing here? It's late."

"Gihi, it's only two."

Levy rolled her eyes. "Only."

"Maybe, I wanted to see you." He licked his lips.

Levy blinked. _I'm seeing things._ She turned around. "I'm going to sleep." Levy expected to hear the door close behind her but only heard a soft *da-doomp. * Levy turned around and saw the man in her room looking around. Levy, too exhausted to process what was going on, laid in bed.

She closed her eyes and started to drift to sleep. "What do you want?" she mumbled.

"Nothing…I can't sleep."

Levy groaned before sleep overtook her.

She didn't sleep for very long, maybe an hour or two. Either way, she woke up to a delicious smell of food. Her room didn't have a kitchen, so she was quite confused and thought she was dreaming. After keeping her eyes closed for a few minutes, Levy realized the smell was real. She turned on her side and opened an eye. Cooking on a counter was Gajeel. Levy had no idea where the single-eye countertop range came from, but whatever Gajeel was cooking, Levy wanted.

She attempted to speak but only a grunt came out. Gajeel didn't seem to notice, and Levy enjoyed the view of watching him move. It seemed so intimate yet friendly of a scene.

"Stop checking me out and grab this plate." Gajeel's voice was gruff and low.

Levy didn't say anything, only sat up and stretched out her arm. The man handed her a plate then cut off the randomly-appearing eye. Levy looked down at the plate. It was a plate of stacked crepes. It was simply presented, but Levy was still impressed.

Gajeel joined her on her bed. His size largely contrasted her own. Levy noted that his hair was pulled back with one of her bandanas. "Bring back any memories?"

Levy took a bite and smiled. They were cheese and mushroom crepes. Very simple. Very good. "Yeah, kinda. Grandma wasn't a fan of Parisian food, but she did have a soft spot for crepes." She took another bite. With a full mouth, she asked, "Who makes crepes at three in the morning?"

For just a second, Gajeel smiled as he looked up at the woman while chewing. "I told you I couldn't sleep."

"What about Lily?"

Gajeel shook his head. "He's slumped. He needed a break after all our bar nights."

Levy chuckled and nodded. "Yeah those were a little excessive…so why can't you sleep? Upset about tonight?"

Gajeel was quiet for a moment. He didn't look at Levy just stared off into the dim lighting. "No. Seeing all those chefs today made me miss being in the kitchen."

Levy didn't really know how to respond. That was a rather personal answered from the rugged man. Levy continued to eat then sighed. "I mean…why aren't you cooking in your kitchen?" Gajeel glanced off to the side and snickered. Then laughed. Then suddenly stopped and glared at the woman. Levy had clueless look on her face. "…what?"

Gajeel continued to eat his food. "As much reading as you do, and you don't know?"

Levy turned her head slightly then shrugged. "What do I not know?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Tell me."

"Shrimp, it's really not that important." Gajeel took the plate off his lap and turned to get up. "I guess I'll go now."

However, Levy didn't want him to—not with him being so secretive and not explaining himself. Levy's body moved quicker than her processing her actions. "No!" she suddenly found herself on top of Gajeel's chest and him pinned to the bed.

Gajeel's eyes were wide and shocked. He looked up at the bluenette before suddenly glaring in annoyance. "What Shrimp? It's late." He was now avoiding eye-contact.

"Oh, don't give me that. You're the one in my room making crepes." Levy snapped back. She took a deep breath and relaxed. "What happened?"

Gajeel felt his body heating up but tried to keep calm. He knew the Shrimp was more concerned about their conversation than the fact that she was straddling his chest or how her silk pants rode up above her knees or how Gajeel didn't want to talk but just stay how they were. Gajeel groaned and looked up the woman. "Get off me." He said sternly.

Levy hadn't really acknowledged that she was sitting on the man, but she did see the slightly red in the man's cheeks. _He must drunk._ She did what she was told and sat on the bed. She looked down at her feet—preparing herself for some deep, personal conversation. Yet, she was not prepared to look up and see Redfox removing his wife-beater revealing all those intricate muscles.

"Oh my gosh, what are you doing!" Levy blurted out before burying her face into a nearby pillow.

"Shrimp get your head out the pillow and look."

Levy obeyed and focused her eyes on the man's back in the dim light. There were scars. Some looked like they came from knives maybe from fights years ago. But there was one large one in the middle of Gajeel's back. Without thought, Levy reached out and touched it. Gajeel stopped himself from jumping from her cool touch. He mentally groaned. Levy examined the scar and the way it felt.

"There was a fire…" she whispered almost inaudibly.

Gajeel quickly put his shirt back on and looked down at the woman. His face had some pain in it, something that came from a distinct memory. "Yes there was a fire. Not your typical kitchen flare up, but something that burned down the building." Gajeel paused and looked away. "Some idiot caused it and ran away without warning anybody. It spread from the kitchen to the basement where I was. I smelled the smoke and felt the door to escape, but it was searing. I was trapped." Gajeel rubbed his head. Levy wanted to tell him to stop, but for some reason, she felt like he wouldn't either way. "Something fell and knocked me out. It was a miracle the fire department found me. Lily was working at another place a few states away but flew in to be with me…I ain't never been the same after that."

Levy was quiet, lost in thought. "So today was hard for you. You miss being in the kitchen but still aren't ready to go back." It was hard for Levy to understand, but she knew it still bothered him. It was something he was called to do but was scared to at the same time.

Gajeel grunted. "Every time I see my staff working I want to be the one by Lily's side getting those dishes out, but…it's like a wall." Gajeel sighed and turned. "It's late. I'll leave." Gajeel tossed Levy's bandana from his hair and took a step forward then felt a pair of arms wrapped around his stomach. "Shrimp."

Levy mumbled as she leaned against his back. "Don't go." Gajeel turned and looked at her. "I mean you don't have to go. You just opened up to me and I don't want you to be alone with your thoughts after that." Levy took the forgotten plates off the bed and scooted over for the man to join her.

Gajeel snickered as he looked at the woman. "You're such a sap." He laughed as he got under the covers.

Levy puffed her cheeks and hit the man in the chest. "Stupid Gajeel!...good night."

"Gihi, good night shrimp."

* * *

And done. I really enjoyed writing that chapter. I feel like it's time to move things a little faster though I'm not too sure in what direction I'm going in. (Oops)

Don't forget to share your thoughts in a review, and I hope you have a great day. :)


	12. Chapter 12: Day Off

Vacations are great, but once you step off that plane reality sets back in. You go back to work, chaos, social pressure, and the typical exhaustion. Things tend to reset to the way they were before no matter what happened during that nice break from life.

When the gang returned from New York, both restaurants' staff were disappointed by the results but proud to of the recognition. In the area, business was as busy and competitive as ever. Dinners were booked weeks well into advance. Over the course of months, Levy partnered with a restauranteur she connected with in New York for equal ownership in order to properly handle the more advance-level of management it needed.

As for the Dragon's Lounge, change happened in the kitchen. Though only Lily noticed, the owner was slowly taking more responsibilities in food preparation even if it was as little as vegetable prep or stock making. Lily preferred that over Redfox standing at the expeditor marking with yearning eyes directed at the kitchen. It was the little things in life.

By now it was fall time. Dinner time was still hectic not as bad since tourist season was coming to a pause in Magnolia. The wind was chilly, and the leaves were the colors of fire. It was the third Sunday of the month—the one day both restaurants were close for the need to relax. It was a risky move closing for what is classified as a "typical" day, yet it was still necessary.

Levy was trying to get some reading done. It was the only day of the month when she didn't have to stay up until four in the morning in order to enjoy a book. Levy was snuggled up on her couch with a warm blanket, hot tea, and a classic book. It was the perfect time to spend the late morning. At first glance, there was really nothing that could interrupt Levy's peace.

"Damn, you're so boring gihi." Levy shot daggers from her eyes. "Aww poor shrimp."

Levy still did not know why, but Gajeel had made the spontaneous visit to her house. It didn't seem like he was leaving soon either. Levy was surprised but didn't mind lounging around with the man. He had been over for about an hour, but Gajeel was starting to get restless.

"Why are you here again?" Levy replied annoyed.

Gajeel grinned before laying back down on the floor. "I'm bored."

"Why don't you hang out with Lily?"

"Lil' got personal things to do on the days off." Levy looked down. She wanted to ask what he meant but it seemed personal. "Plus, I see him every day."

Levy giggled. "I mean sure we see each other every day too." Levy closed her book.

"Eh, we _see_ each other but not interacting ya know?" Gajeel replied staring at the ceiling.

Levy looked down at him. "Well you know how the business is." Gajeel snickered and covered his eyes with his arm. He was probably going to doze off soon. Levy smiled. Once she heard snoring, she sneaked off the couch and tip toed into the kitchen.

…

Gajeel smirked to himself as he sat on the floor and peered into the living room. He knew Levy wasn't a professional chef, but it was still a pleasure seeing her maneuver in the kitchen. There were some pet peeves for chefs when they were at home cooking with others. Sanitation regulations and cross contamination rules were drilled into their head. One small error made them want to yell or flinch at best. Yet, Levy, herself being a manager, seemed as if she had thrived in the kitchen.

"Stop checking me out and grab this plate."

Gajeel chuckled at the words. It seemed only like yesterday that they had their little 'moment,' but they both knew it was a while ago and just how busy their lives were. Gajeel stood up and did as he was told. Levy's back still towards him, he ruffled the bluenette's hair. "I never tell you to stop checking me out."

She didn't move. "That's because I don't." The woman heard Gajeel chuckle, but then it was quiet as he ate his monte cristo.

When hers was ready, she turned around and saw curious eyes looking down at her. There was something mischievous and needy in his look. Like he wanted something but didn't mind playing a game to get it. Levy groaned. It was already hard enough with him in her house—hair down and sweats on. _Why did I let him in? I should have just let him sleep._

"You're checking me out again."

Levy snapped back into reality. "Eat your sandwich."

"I did. Not bad gihi." He crossed his arms. Levy rolled her eyes. "Aww, why giving me the cold shoulder shrimp?"

Levy bit her sandwich. "I'm doing nothing of the sort. You're the one looking like a puppy waiting for treat."

Gajeel licked his lips playfully. "Maybe I am."

Levy looked at the man with a blank expression and shook her head. "We're not doing this Redfox." She walked to the living room and sat on the couch. Gajeel followed suit.

He had a large grin on his face the entire time. "Redfox? Gihi, what did I do to you, 'McGarden?'" Levy ignored him and continued to eat. He stole a bite from her plate. She looked up at him annoyed. "What? Maybe I just wanna play."

"I'm not playing your games."

"Games? And what is that?"

Levy didn't quite have an answer. What were they doing? This awkward, tense, competitive friendship they had for years. Both of them growing but never outdoing the other. Levy puffed her cheeks and turned her body against his. "Stupid, Gajeel." She finished her sandwich and tried to read her book.

Gajeel decided to let her be and settled deeper into the couch. He watched as the woman slowly began to get lost in her own world again. Always books. It didn't matter the subject or the author. She was always reading something. Gajeel grinned. He could see the nights they would spend like this. Him silent while the woman read and read. Gajeel was dense but not an idiot. He and Lily both knew how the woman was starting to affect him each day. He probably would have been too cocky the first two years of business and ended up closing down if it wasn't for the competition he had with the woman. Heck, he was doing little things in the kitchen, but that was more than all those years he yearned to be in the intensity of a dinner rush. It was something more fulfilling, personally, than the few dinners with Juvia and Lily. Would Gajeel share these feelings with the woman, not yet. It took him a while to be honest with himself, and now, it was hard to figure out how she felt—if there was a possibility.

* * *

Levy woke up from knocking. She tried to get up but she felt a big arm wrapped around her waist. It pulled her closer to the torso. Levy groaned.

"Gajeel, I gotta see who it is." She mumbled.

"Pizza." Gajeel grunted without opening his eyes. "Took bloody longer than it should've."

Levy giggled. "Why didn't you make anything?" *knock knock* "Coming!"

"There's barely anything left in your kitchen. And I didn't feel like getting up." Gajeel explained. "Plus, you're warm gihi."

He got up and beat the woman to the door. He quickly paid the delivery driver without checking the food. He turned and saw the woman looking at him. Her hair was messy, and she had taken off her glasses. She seemed in a good mood though. He lifted the two boxes of pizza. "Food."

They plopped back on the couch and turned on a movie. A quarter into it, Levy kept glancing up to the man. She started realizing that he had been looking at her each time. Her cheeks warmed every time their eyes met. She reached for another slice of pizza and stuffed it into her mouth. _Jeez, stop looking at me._ She heard a laugh. She groaned. Levy turned her body and looked up at Gajeel. Of course, he was looking at her. "Something funny, Gajeel?"

Gajeel snickered and gesture towards the TV screen. "The movie." Levy punched him in the ribs. "Ouch shrimp, what was that for?"

"You're not even paying attention to the movie. Why are you laughing at me?"

Gajeel ruffled Levy's hair. "You look so cute just enjoyin' that pizza. You act like you don't work at a fancy ole French restaurant."

Levy was stunned for a moment. He had just casually complimented her, and she was trying to move past that. She just didn't realize what to say. "…it's a unique French restaurant, thank you very much."

"Gihi, that's all you have to say?"

"What do you mean?" Levy avoided eye contact.

Gajeel shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We'll talk when the time is right." And with that, he repositioned the woman into his lap and shifted all his focus on the movie. Levy wanted him to explain but decided to let it go. After all, it was their day off.

* * *

How was it? Thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter.


	13. Chapter 13: They're Trying

His words kept bothering her. Levy knew Redfox was hinting at something inside him and she had been too oblivious to put the pieces together. He was complimenting her but that was always accompanied by teasing, so did it really matter? She typically ignored it. He had been like that for years, but at the same time…it seemed like there was something genuine in that. Levy groaned audibly.

"Is something not making sense Miss McGarden?" Levy's business partner looked up at her from his binder. They were discussing finances and some interior design ideas. Levy was in and out of the things he said.

She shook her head. "No, no. It's fine." The man starred at her for a second before shaking his head and chuckling. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just figuring out where your mind is." He looked back down at his documents. "Anyway, as I was saying," and with that he jumped back into their professional conversation.

Levy sighed mentally this time. _Why is Redfox on my mind? It's not like I'm on his?_

Quite contrary to Levy's thought, the man was in and out of his own discussion with Lily over an upcoming menu. It was the quiet shift before the storm, and Gajeel couldn't think of anything unique to serve for these current fall months.

"You know you can go across the street to visit her, right?" Lily's voice intruded his thoughts.

Gajeel shook his head. "We have businesses to run. We're not in the position to act like little high school crushes."

Lily chuckled. "Oh, so the feelings are mutual?" Gajeel quickly glared up at the man. "You're not denying it."

"Dude, I don't know. I'm not about to ask her directly how she feels. That's weird." Gajeel blurted out defensively.

"Levy and Gajeel, kissing in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Natsu and Gray suddenly started singing in unison.

Gajeel growled and threw a random book at them. Lily laughed as the man covered his head in embarrassment. Gajeel cussed under his breath. How he managed to have those two idiots work for him he could never understand.

"Take her to out to get some coffee or something." Lily suggested after cooling off.

Gajeel peaked an eye open. "When?"

"Uh, now. You don't have anything better to do." Lily replied with a smug look.

Gajeel moved his arms and leaned back. "We're near dinner service."

"The restaurant was fine when we were in New York. Now get out of here." Lily said as he stood up and pointed Gajeel towards the exit.

The man groaned and complained as he walked towards the door. "She's gonna say no."

"Yeah, yeah, I doubt it. Bye!" Lily shouted back.

* * *

Levy was a bit confused as to how she found herself walking next to her friend-slash-rival on that chilly autumn evening after he barged in during the dinner prep. However, Lucy and Cana were quick to bombard the man learning that he had the intent to take Levy out the restaurant. Similar to himself, the woman protested since dinner service was indeed approaching but just as Lily did, Lucy did not let that excuse work. So, here Levy was somehow walking through the downtown area with the gruff Mister Redfox on a "hang-out."

"Seems like a date." Levy muttered to herself as she pulled her coat closer to her.

"I mean, you can think of it like that if you want." Gajeel replied. Levy quickly looked up at the man. Gajeel snickered as he saw her blushing. "What? I did ask you to leave your place to hang with me." She still didn't reply. "Ok, ok, damn shrimp it's not a date."

There was still some awkward silence before Gajeel heard some chuckling as they waited to cross the street. "I'm not opposed to being on a date with you."

Gajeel laughed and pulled the woman under his arm. "Why ya gotta talk so proper with me? Obviously you aren't 'opposed.' You're here." He laughed again and Levy couldn't help but join him.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still in work mode." Levy wiped a tear from her eye.

Gajeel snickered and shrugged. "Well get out of it. We ain't at work."

"Alright, so where are we going?" Levy asked. She could feel her hunger grow as they continued to pass several different restaurants and cafes.

"Eh, I'm thinkin' tapas. Sound good?"

Levy looked up at the man. She was a little startled. "Tapas? As in the bar-hopping food muching restaurants in Spain?"

"Gihi, I guess you could look at it like that, yeah. Ever done it?" Gajeel raised his brow in curiosity. Levy shook her head. "Oh damn, well I nearly messed up a stage I had overseas from too many nights eating at tapas like a maniac." Levy laughed. She could only imagine the kind of trouble Gajeel could have gotten himself into. "Oh please shrimp, I'm sure you had some wild college stories."

Levy giggled and looked off to the side. "Well Lu-chan did get me out the dorm every once in a while, but I'm not sure if my stories are anything like yours."

Gajeel looked around. _Alright, we're almost there_. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Levy rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Redfox, I'm sure you have had your fair share of mischievous adventures."

"Oh really? Well if that's the case, then that must mean you're into bad boys, McGarden." Gajeel casually lead the way to one small restaurant and opened the door for the woman.

Levy laughed as she entered. "Possibly, but you must be a gentleman since you held the door for me."

"Jeez, I ain't a complete asshole woman."

Levy chuckled and looked around the restaurant. It had a playful carnival theme with décor. There were oversized popcorn tubs, the hostess station was a ticket stand, the waiting staff were dressed in different costumes and seemed to be enjoying their workplace atmosphere. Levy looked up at Gajeel. "You're kidding right?"

Gajeel snickered. "What?"

Levy laughed. "This. This place, it's a tapas place."

"And do you have a problem with tapas?" Gajeel continued to play clueless. He knew exactly what she was trying to say. But he enjoyed seeing that childlike excitement in her eyes, so he continued to say nothing.

Levy blushed slightly and shook her head. "Of course not! Gah, Gajeel! This tapas place! You don't just walk in; how did you get reservations. I know you didn't plan this." The restaurant was a spinoff of a similar one in Barcelona by a disciple of the original chef. It was pretty similar giving the Spanish cuisine to the States and as renowned as well.

The man didn't say anything only moved silently as the host showed them where to sit. The restaurant was somewhat crammed with tables and booths, but no one seemed to mind at all. There was plenty of chatter that dimmed the carnival music that was being played. Gajeel watched as Levy tried to keep her composure though he could tell she was about to bust from giddiness.

They were seated and brought a glass of water. Gajeel glanced and saw that Levy was pouting at him. "What?"

"You won't tell me how we are having dinner here." She whined.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Gihi, it's funny that you're such a well-known restauranteur, but you act just like a baby." He immediately yelped from a kick to the leg. "Damn it! That's mean shrimp."

"Hmph, I'm not the one keeping secrets."

Gajeel sighed. "I know a guy."

"I wanna know a guy."

Just then, the first course was already placed in front of them along with a glass of wine. "Ssh, shrimp. Eat your food."

* * *

Gajeel wouldn't stop the sly smile he had on his face as he walked with Levy clung to his arm. The meal was suburb and definitely worth the trillion of favors he now owes Lily. He didn't care. The evening was spent watching his favorite bluenette's eyes stay lit and filled with wonder after each and every course. The chef even came out to talk to the two and promised to plan a small picnic to acknowledge their success in Magnolia. Levy couldn't have dreamed that a simple night with Redfox would have been easily one of the most memorable. And she wanted to stay at the restaurant and stress herself out at a dinner shift. Levy chuckled.

"What's so funny shrimp?"

Levy shook her head as she hugged Gajeel's arm a little tighter while they walked back to their side of town. "Nothing." She paused and chuckled again. "Just wouldn't have thought that a date with you would have been so rewarding."

Gajeel laughed wholeheartedly. "Well I wouldn't expect every date to be like this, but I'm glad you enjoyed it gihi."

Levy blushed and tried to distract herself by picking out strange features on bystanders. "…so there'll be more dates?"

Gajeel looked at her for a moment before grinning widely and winked. "Well would you like there to be more dates Levy?"

Hearing her name, Levy quickly blushed and covered her face with her hands. "I-, I mean. Well,"

"Let me stop you there since you need time finding your words." Gajeel joked. "I'm being serious about this. You're-," Gajeel nearly choked, "look you're someone who's really important to me. I can talk to you about shit or whatever and can escape this hectic restaurant life."

Levy wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was a gushy confession but meaningful just the same. Gajeel wasn't a complete asshole, but he did try to hide his emotions if they were something more serious than a joke or irritation. Levy shook her head. "I understand…and I wouldn't mind more dates…if you're fine with that."

Gajeel stopped walking as they had come to Levy's place. "Alrighty then I guess that's settles it." He rubbed the woman's hair. "Well I'll let you count up your numbers from tonight. I'll see you later McGarden."

Levy watched as the man nonchalantly walked across the street to his restaurant. He seemed cool and collected and turned around only to see Levy give him a shy, unnoticeable wave. "Good night."

* * *

Levy didn't know what to think. They were dating. Right? I mean, that's what they said. Right? Levy groaned as she starred at the same paper for the last thirty minutes. _He's in my head again!_

"Boyfriend problems?"

Levy looked up and saw Lucy with a smug look on her head. She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. I don't have time for boyfriends."

Lucy laughed. "You and Redfox were gone for the entire night a couple days ago."

Levy tried to keep her cool. It wasn't that she had any issues with this…relationship with Gajeel but it was so new. Like were they dating like 'dating dating' or what? "So what? Lu-chan, this isn't the first time Redfox and I have been out on business."

There was a mischievous laugh. "Business, she calls it." Cana snickered and winked as she look a sip from her wine glass. "That's a good one."

Levy puffed her cheeks at the woman. "Cana, what have I said about drinking the inventory?"

Cana quickly turned away from the woman. "And this is where I take my leave, come on Blondie."

Lucy sent Levy a glare as she was pulled from the office. "This isn't over!"

Levy sighed as she turned back to the piles of paperwork in front of her. _I need to focus…_

* * *

"What about a BLT with a fried green tomato?" Levy asked as she swirled frosting on a cake.

Gajeel continued to doze off in space. "That's pretty Southern. I don't really know too much about that to try and do my version of that." Gajeel noted the silence that had taken over the room and glanced over at the woman. "What are you doing?"

At this point, Levy had frosting on her face and apron and maybe a sprinkle or two in her hair. She looked up at the man with the frosting bag positioned her in her hand, ready for use. "What do you mean?"

"Where's Juvia at? Why are you doing the pastries?" Gajeel asked as he looked around the room.

Levy giggled and continued you her work. "She has the day off. I can handle the pastries on my own."

Gajeel watched her work before sighing. Levy didn't notice the man leave the room or him returning with his own apron and his hair tied up with a towel. Gajeel worked on the opposite side of stainless steel preparation table. He kept stealing glances at Levy and before long he couldn't help himself from chuckling to himself—slowly increasing his volume the more he looked at the woman.

Levy glared at him. "What is so funny, Redfox?"

"Jeez, last names shrimp?" he snickered. "Gihi, you just look so cute with all that frosting on your face."

Levy puffed her cheeks and cutely stomped her way to the man. "Really? Well let's see how you like it!" She then promptly took her frosting and piped a mustache on the man. Gajeel laughed at the woman and her silly gestures. Levy pouted. "It's not supposed to be funny."

Gajeel winked. "You're right; it's sweet."

Levy couldn't help but take in the sight. It was sweet and cute and she couldn't help herself. Before she could really process what she was doing, she leaned forward and kissed the man then licked off the frosting that was now around her lips. "I guess you're right. It is sweet."

Levy, however, didn't get a chance to see the deep shade of red that plagued Gajeel's face as a loud shriek enveloped the room.

"GAH! I KNEW IT!" Levy turned and saw Lucy, Cana, and the other staff peering in the doorway. "You two are dating!"

* * *

And scene. I liked this chapter. I feel like I can kinda close off this fic soon. It doesn't have a hardcore plotline like my others, but I like focusing on the development of Gajeel and Levy's relationship especially as it coexist with their busy lives.

As usual, review and share your thoughts.

Thanks for reading :)


	14. Chapter 14: It's OfficialEnough

It's Official…Enough

And life continued like it normally did. Well, it was more so different in some ways of course. News of Levy and Gajeel's relationship somehow got out, and the City of Magnolia called the two with the idea of funding a culinary project to educate the public on food, health, and sustainability. Gajeel was nervous considering that the _Dragon's Lounge_ wasn't necessarily a place for the health conscious, but he understood that Levy was excited about the idea. What was proposed was a series of pop-up restaurants that would run from a Friday to Sunday. The line up was interesting to say the least.

Long-time industry chef, Makarov Dreyar, brought back very old school dishes reminiscent of the fancy cruise-lines of the fifties. There were elaborate decorations, an abundance of food, all from a time long before most of the patrons were alive. Some critics complained that the menu was too old and had been wasteful with uses of things like parsley dust. Makarov took it all with a laugh.

Elfman surprisingly showcased a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes from around the world. He proudly stated that he did not think it was manly to consume the soul of animals. With the help of his sisters, there was even a presentation about sustainability and the impact of mass agricultural production on the environment.

Natsu and Gray teamed up with Cana for a bartending demonstration to go along with the small dishes Loke prepared for the crowd. Under the supervision of Erza, things went fairly smoothly and she even prevented Cana from drinking too much so the guests could try too.

Soon, other chefs and industry workers came out and submitted different ideas to Gajeel, Levy, and a board of city workers. It added to the workload, but the couple enjoyed the work and were able to spend more time with each other. The pop-ups ran through most of the spring and into the beginning of summer. Tonight was the last one, and the small square-footage of the temporary venue was so full it was amazing that the Fire Marshall hadn't came to shut it down. It was intense, packed, but the hosts were motivated to have everything go well.

"I'm missing the fish for table 20! Time?" Levy shouted from her expediting spot. "If you're going to run that station, I need you to tell me what's going on."

Gajeel wiped his forehead and cussed under his breath. He was finally back to working in the kitchen after slowly but surely doing more at his own restaurant. He was hoping to be working this night with the Shrimp, but he was very unaware of how much of a tight-ship she ran. _Damn and none of those girls gave me any type of warning. I shouda asked Juvia._

"30 seconds for fish. How many do we have all day?" Gajeel replied.

Levy quickly scanned the tickets in front of her. "All day we have 8 steak, 4 soup, 4 veg, 5 fish. I need that in the next 40 seconds before I fire the next set of tables."

"Aye!" the kitchen replied in unison.

Gajeel groaned but was really smiling on the inside. He knew he didn't hate being in the kitchen. Despite the slight ache and pain of his unused joints, he enjoyed this intensity of being put to work. He missed the demands of a chef or expediter demanding perfection because nothing less was unacceptable. He didn't need to know what the customers were thinking right now. That didn't matter. He would find out later, but he knew that if he didn't get that fish out in next 15 seconds he was gonna get chewed out whether or not he would be kissing that woman later on tonight. In fact, Gajeel wouldn't hold it against Levy to ignore him if he caused her ship to go down especially tonight. Gajeel cussed at himself as he plated another fish. _Hell no, I refuse to let the shrimp down. I will get the kisses!_

"Lily, how are we doing over there?" Levy asked as she watched the motley crew of cooks work through the madness. Levy had long since told the front-of-house to stop allowing people in, but it seemed as if the tickets kept coming. Too focus to speak, Lily threw up a thumbs up before continuing to work. Levy counted the tickets and looked at her stack of completed ones. "Alright team, we're halfway there. We can do it!" Levy announced to keep everyone motivated.

"AYE!"

* * *

"Cheers to a very successful pop-up!" Cana smiled as everyone pointed their beer bottles to the sky.

Levy sighed as she sat back down on a table. "Jeez, what a night."

Gajeel chuckled as he sipped his drink. He playfully punched Levy in the arm. "What do you mean by that? You were the one barking orders." Levy rolled her eyes as she was pulled into Gajeel's lap.

Natsu laughed. "Don't listen to him. I'm sure you were trying to stay patient with that rundown cook."

A slight vein popped. "Rundown? How dare you?"

Lily snickered. "Calm down, you did fine for the most part…a few flunkers." Lily muttered the last part.

Gajeel grumbled to himself. Levy laughed and kissed his forehead. "Ah, it's okay. You did fine by me."

"Ew~ get a room!" Lucy shouted with feigned disgusts. Gajeel chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the woman's hips. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh jeez, but if we're being honest. It took forever for you guys together."

Natsu hooted with laughter. "Yeah man, everyone lost that bet!" Immediately, everyone tried to shush the man, but it was too late.

Levy looked around at everyone. "Excuse me?"

Gajeel looked mildly annoyed. "What bet?"

Cana tried to play it off. "Oh nothing serious. Just something we did a couple years ago."

Lily shrugged. "We all lost, so it doesn't matter anyway."

Gray and Natsu momentarily sulked. "Lost a lot of money."

Juvia joined them. "If only she could get it back." She whispered.

Lucy quickly changed the subject. "So how does it feel after these couple of months?"

Levy sighed dramatically. "I'm relieved. It was fun, but now I can just focus on the restaurant and that's it." Lucy had a sly look. "What is it Lu-chan?"

Lucy giggled as she leaned a little on Cana. "Oh they don't think we know the rumor?"

Cana joined in. "Ah yes, we were quick to realize their relationship, but even we know about this." Lily was confused but remembered as soon as Cana winked and him. He immediately started snickering to himself. "Even Natsu and Gray know."

Suddenly, Gajeel and Levy looked around as everyone snickered and chuckled to themselves. Gajeel groaned. "Tch, what is it?"

Levy was confused. "What are you guess talking about."

"Well," Lucy started off, "we heard you guys are expecting."

Lily smiled. "Expecting to start a new restaurant together."

There was a blank period of silence before Gajeel started laughing. "A restaurant? Oh no, the Shrimp and I are doing exactly what we love. We don't need to add more to that."

Levy nodded. "Exactly. Well said."

Gajeel went on. "Besides, we all know that my restaurant is better. No need to make that more obvious, gihi."

Levy perked up and elbowed the man in the chest. "BAKA! Stupid Gajeel!"

* * *

Well…I don't know what to say. This is kind of the end. It's not so formal but at the same time this fic is different than the others I've written. It was more of a progressive slice of life rather a plot-driven piece. I'm in a new town for school but I knew I wanted to wrap this up somehow.

Thank you to all the readers who have been here since the beginning and even those who just read everything in one night. Please review and let me know what you think of this as a whole. If you want more, I have other fics on here. I might write a new story but I'm not sure.

Thanks guys!


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